The Task Force South of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) confirmed that the cruiser "Moscow" which had been hit by a Ukrainian cruise missile (CM) "Neptune" caught on fire and sank.
"In the Black Sea operating zone, the cruiser "Moscow" – the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet of russia – which was hit by a CM "Neptune" got some significant damage. A fire started. Other units of the ship group tried to come to the rescue but the storm and the powerful blast of the ammunition capsized the cruiser and she started sinking," – the report says.
Russian media have reported previously referring to the ministry of defense of the russian federation that "Moscow" sank after sending the SOS signal. It was mentioned that the biggest cruiser of the Black Sea Fleet caught on fire during which the ammunition detonated and an explosion followed. The ship's crew was evacuated.
The cruiser "Moscow" was 25-30 miles from the island of Zmiyinyi near Odesa. The causes of the fire are being clarified, but the major version is a missile strike.
The ministry of defense of rf admitted that that cruiser had been significantly damaged. The SOS signal was sent at 1:05 a.m. on 14 April.
At the beginning of the war, the cruiser "Moscow" together with the patrol ship of the rf's Black Sea Fleet "Vasiliy Bykov'' demanded from the defenders of the Zmiyinyi island to surrender. To that, they answered with the phrase that had already become legendary: "Russian warship - go fuck yourself".
"Moscow" is the flagship of the russian Black Sea Fleet. It was built in Mykolayiv back in the USSR era, the construction started in 1976. Initially, the cruiser used to be named "Slava" ("Glory" in russian).