Russia has vowed to step up missile attacks on Kyiv after Ukraine’s main warship sank in the Black Sea.
“Moscow” fell while being towed to the port in a stormy sea after an explosion of ammunition caused a fire, according to the Kremlin.
Ukraine said it hit the ship with missiles fired from the shore, but Russia did not confirm the attack.
The crew of more than 500 people was evacuated, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced.
Explosions were heard in Kyiv and other cities after the ship sank. Early Friday, Russia said it had struck a factory in the capital that makes and repairs anti-ship missiles.
Russia’s defense ministry has said it will step up attacks on Kyiv in response to alleged Ukrainian military “sabotage” on its territory.
He accused Ukraine of injuring seven people and damaging about 100 residential buildings in air strikes on Bryansk, a region bordering Ukraine.
Another Russian border region also reported shelling on Thursday.
The Ukrainian authorities have not confirmed that any targets have been struck in Russia, and the reports of the Russian authorities cannot be verified independently.
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Russia “forms operations” before pressure from Donbass
Airstrikes sounded over much of Ukraine on Friday night.
Apart from Kyiv, explosions were heard in the southern city of Kherson, the eastern city of Kharkiv and the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk.
The Ukrainian capital is gradually showing some signs of pre-war life after Russian troops failed to capture the city and withdrew to focus on a concentrated attack in eastern Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin continues to organize forces for a renewed offensive in eastern Ukraine.
Additional equipment has arrived in northern Donbass and western Russia, according to a senior US defense official.
Speaking on Thursday, the spokesman said Russia was “shaping operations” but that the new offensive had not yet begun.
Further south, the besieged city of Mariupol continues to fight between defenders and Russian forces.
Russia’s navy has also moved further south since the sinking of Moscow, the US official added.
Image: A torn flag in front of a destroyed residential building in Mariupol
Moscow sank in “stormy sea”
The sinking of Russia’s largest ship in the war was a significant loss, but the Kremlin has not acknowledged any Ukrainian attack.
“During the towing of the cruiser” Moscow “to the port of destination, the ship lost stability due to damage to the hull caused by the detonation of ammunition during the fire,” the Russian Defense Ministry said.
“In stormy sea conditions, the ship sank.”
Ukrainian media reported that two Neptune rockets were aimed at the ship, but the allegations were not confirmed independently.
A Ukrainian source told Sky News earlier: “It is burning. The level of damage is being clarified… It is about 25 nautical miles from Snake Island.
Maxim Marchenko, the governor of Odessa, said in the Telegram: “It has been confirmed that today the missile cruiser” Moscow “went exactly where it was sent by our border guards on Snake Island!
“The Neptune missiles guarding the Black Sea have caused very serious damage to the Russian ship. Glory to Ukraine!”
Read more: Why the sinking of the Russian warship is a shame for Putin
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3:18 What does the sinking of Moscow mean for Russia?
The sinking of a “symbolic” event
The version of Ukraine’s events – that the fire was caused by a missile strike – is “more likely”, aviation Marshal Phil Osborne, former head of UK defense intelligence, told Sky News.
He said the development was “quite symbolic on both sides” and that “Moscow” is “quite a significant ship as far as Russia is concerned”.
The impact is “less loss of the ship and more demonstration of Ukrainian capabilities,” he added.
“Moscow, which dates back to the Soviet era, was put into operation 40 years ago, but has been refurbished,” he said.
There were guided missiles to attack the coast and enemy aircraft, as well as radar to provide cover for the air defense of the fleet.
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The ship was involved in a highly reported incident – a day after the Russian invasion – when it was one of two ships approaching Snake Island in the Black Sea.
The Russians ordered 13 Ukrainian soldiers defending the island to surrender, prompting one to tell Moscow and its crew to “get out.”
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