Photos and videos have surfaced that show the Russian cruiser Moscow shortly before the ship sank in the Black Sea.
Images that have not been independently confirmed show a cloud of black smoke rising from badly damaged Moscow, which was reportedly hit by a Ukrainian missile strike last week.
Images show that the ship’s lifeboats have been deployed and no sailors can be seen on deck, suggesting the ship may have been abandoned. In the images, “Moscow” is on the port’s list as two fire hoses launch jets of water into the air.
A three-second video taken by a nearby ship appears to show a lifeboat approaching burning Moscow. The short recording ends abruptly when a man nearby shouts, “What the hell are you doing?”
Several military analysts, advised by the Guardian, said the images looked in line with Moscow, but that the photos would require independent confirmation. The source of the photos and video is unknown and was first presented to the public by Osint researchers after the Russian war in Ukraine.
“I believe the video is real. What we see, shape, size. This is “Moscow,” Yoruk Ishik, a journalist and ship monitoring expert who photographs Russian warships traveling across the Bosphorus, told the Guardian.
He said he believed at least one of the photos was taken by a rescue tug under Project 22870, of which Russia is believed to have two in the Black Sea. “Moscow” was towed to the port of Sevastopol when it sank, the Russian Defense Ministry said. “These tugs are always around whatever other warships are involved in,” he said in a statement.
Russia’s Defense Ministry has released very little information on how the ship sank, claiming that the boat was damaged in an accident on board. The Ukrainian government, along with Western intelligence officials, say the ship was hit by several Ukrainian anti-ship missiles.
HI Sutton, a naval analyst and author, writes that “damage does not preclude missile strike (s) and remains the probable cause. Possible traces of breaches on the side of the hull are visible under the fire. But they will need closer scrutiny to confirm whether they were caused by missiles or simply by fire damage. “
Vladimir Zelensky: Russia wants to “destroy” the Ukrainian region of Donbass – video
The Russian government claims that the ship sank in a “stormy sea” while being towed to the port of Sevastopol. But the location of the fire may suggest that it reached anti-ship or anti-aircraft missiles, causing a “catastrophic explosion,” Sutton wrote. Earlier, there were unconfirmed media reports of a large explosion on board the ship.
The Russian government also did not confirm any information on the number of victims of the incident, releasing only a short video of the meeting of the Russian Navy summit with some crew members.
The lack of lifeboats on board suggests that a significant number of the crew could have been rescued.
“All the stern life raft containers have been discarded, although one remains on the back deck,” Sutton wrote. “This suggests that the crew has already left the ship at this time.”
But other reports in Russia’s independent media on Monday suggested up to 200 sailors may have been injured in the attack on the ship. It is reported that there are about 500 crew on board the ship.
Add Comment