The Moskva cruiser has sunk, announces the Russian Ministry of Defense.
The scenarios diverged on the future of the ship on fire for more than 24 hours, we are now sure that this boat ended these days at the bottom of the black sea.
“During the towing of the cruiser Moskva to the port of destination, the ship lost its stability due to hull damage sustained during the fire following the detonation of ammunition.
In rough sea conditions, the ship sank,” the ministry said, quoted by state agency TASS.
The flagship of the Black Sea Fleet was "severely damaged" on Tuesday.
Each side passed the buck: the ship was hit by an explosion of ammunition according to Moscow, and by missile strikes according to kyiv.
“Due to a fire, ammunition exploded on board”, and the crew was completely evacuated, had indicated the Russian Ministry of Defense, adding that an investigation was underway to determine the origin of this fire. .
“The source of the fire has been contained, there are no flames.
Ammunition explosions ceased.
The Moskva cruiser retains its buoyancy,” the ministry later clarified.
The Ukrainian authorities claimed for their part that the Moskva had been hit by missiles.
“Neptune missiles protecting the Black Sea have caused significant damage to this Russian ship,” said the Ukrainian governor of the Odessa region, Maxim Marchenko.