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The flagship missile cruiser of Russia's fleet in the Black Sea sank on Wednesday (Apr. 13, 2022).
According to The Guardian, Ukrainian officials said that its forces had struck the Moskva with Neptune anti-ship cruise missiles after distracting the crew with a drone.
Russia initially denied that the vessel had sunk, before its defence ministry admitted that it had gone down.
The BBC reported the Russian line on the sinking was that it had been damaged after ammunition on the ship exploded, and sunk while being towed to port during rough sea conditions.
However, the claim of bad weather was refuted by Mark Hertling, the former commanding general of the United States Army Europe, who tweeted about the weather conditions in Sevastopol.
Hertling further told CNN that he was more inclined to believe the Ukrainian reports, noting the relatively mild weather conditions.
Emblematic of "shambolic" Russian campaign
In any case, losing the Moskva represents a significant blow for Russian forces as the invasion of Ukraine hits day 50.
"I'm not sure Russia has yet come to grips with the loss of this command and control ship," Hertling said.
"This is the flagship. This means that this is the one ship of the Black Sea fleet that controls the other ships that are manoeuvring in that area and would have been the potential amphibious assault on the shores of Odessa."
"It is a big deal tactically, for sure, but from a morale purpose it's a huge deal strategically," he added.
According to the BBC, the 12,490-tonne vessel would be the biggest warship to be sunk by enemy action since World War Two.
Ukraine said the attack forced the crew of about 510 to abandon ship.
The Guardian reported that the Moskva was the pride of Russia's Black Sea fleet and the most prestigious vessel involved in the war against Ukraine.
The Russian presence in the Black Sea threatens Ukraine’s southern coast and its key ports, and further aims to cut off Ukraine's access to the sea while establishing a land bridge between Crimea and Russia.
“The sinking of the Moskva, the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, is not just a significant loss, it is emblematic of the shambolic Russian military campaign," said Michael Kofman, research programme director and Russia expert at the US government-funded Center for Naval Analyses, to The Guardian.
The ship was also notoriously involved in a standoff early on in the war at Snake Island.
The incident famously saw the Ukrainian soldiers guarding the island tell the Russian warship to "f**k off".
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Top photo by Burak Akay/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images