April 15, 2022, 2:54 p.m. ET
April 15, 2022, 2:54 am The Russian missile cruiser Moscow sailed to the Bosphorus in Istanbul last year. Credit … Yoruk Isik / Reuters
The sinking of one of Russia’s most formidable warships, Moscow, is a stunning blow to the country – whether the ship sank after an accidental fire, according to Russia’s Defense Ministry, or after being hit by missiles, according to Ukraine.
With a length of over 600 feet and a weight of 12,500 tons, according to Russian news agencies, the Moscow is one of the largest ships of the Russian fleet and the flagship of its fleet in the Black Sea.
This body of water, whose coastline is shared with several other countries, including Ukraine, Georgia and Turkey, has been of strategic importance to Russia for centuries.
Moscow was deployed in support of Russian planes and troops in Syria in 2015, and patrolled the Georgian coast in 2008 during the Russo-Georgian war.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, Moscow – armed with 16 Vulcan missiles with a range of more than 400 miles, according to Russian state media – and the rest of the Black Sea Fleet have fired missiles at Ukraine several times. The ships also cut off Ukraine’s access to the sea and the economic lifeline it provided.
Although military analysts say the loss of Moscow is unlikely to change the course of the war, it is a shame for the Russian military, which has spent billions of dollars modernizing its weapons.
The ship had the ability to inflict “significant damage” in the Black Sea, said Gary Rughead, a retired admiral and former chief of US naval operations. He added that with the break-up of Moscow, Russia is likely to have lost a key platform for communications and control.
Forbes Ukraine’s loss is estimated by Forbes Ukraine at $ 750 million and is Russia’s most expensive military loss in the war to date.
The court was also a symbol of national pride. His name was “Glory” when he was first commissioned by the Soviet Navy in the early 1980s. It was renamed the Russian capital in 1996, according to Russian state media.
“Imagine the aircraft carrier USS George Washington going to the bottom of the Pacific,” said James Stavridis, a retired U.S. Navy admiral and former commander-in-chief of NATO allies, about the ship’s symbolism.
“The loss of something like this is a significant blow to their prestige,” said Admiral Rughead, adding: “This calls into question the readiness of the fleet.”
“Moscow” is the same ship, said Ukrainian authorities, who were known and obscenely described by Ukrainian border guards on Snake Island in February.
Russia’s Defense Ministry says all members of Moscow’s crew, which usually number about 500, have been evacuated. The ship will now join an unknown number of other vessels, some more than a millennium old, at the bottom of the Black Sea.
James Glanz contributed to the report.
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