Russia admits to Moskva losses: Kremlin says one serviceman has died and 27 others are missing
Russia admits to Moskva losses: Kremlin says one serviceman has died and at least 27 others are missing after days of denials over the warship’s sinking
After the sinking, the ministry said the entire crew of the ship had been rescuedThe loss of the guided missile cruiser was a humiliating setback for MoscowImages emerged on Monday appearing to give a first glimpse of the sinking
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Russia has admitted that one serviceman was killed and at least 27 others were left missing after days of denial over the warship’s sinking.
The flagship was blown-up by Ukrainian missiles last week before it sunk to the bottom of the Black Sea.
The Russian Defence Ministry said on Friday that 396 others were rescued and offered no explanation for the contradicting reports.
Shortly after the episode, the ministry said the entire crew of the ship, which was presumed by the media to be about 500 people, had been rescued.
Russia has admitted that one serviceman was killed and at least 27 others were left missing after days of denial over the warship’s sinking
The loss of the guided missile cruiser – the flagship of Russia’s Black Fleet – was a humiliating setback for Moscow. Russia on Friday did not acknowledge an attack on the ship.
It continued to say a fire broke out after ammunition detonated, without offering any details about what caused the detonation.
But images emerged on Monday appearing to give a first glimpse of the sinking warship.
The pictures, which seem to have been taken from a rescue vessel alongside the stricken Russian warship, show damage its left side along with flames burning below deck and a thick pall of black smoke rising into the sky.
The pictures seem to contradict Russian accounts of the sinking, after Moscow claimed the warship sank in choppy seas while being towed to the port of Sevastopol following an explosion on board
A short video clip also appears to show the listing battleship, with a voice heard saying – in Russian – ‘what the f*** are you doing?’ before the seconds-long clip cuts out
Moskva is shown sitting low in the water, leaning to the port side, and appears to have deployed its lifeboats with no crew visible on board. Its rear helicopter door is also open, suggesting the aircraft has taken off. There also seems to be a firefighting ship behind the vessel which is spraying jets of water into the air.
Multiple black marks scar the port-side of the ship, including several near deck-level where smoke appears to have streamed out of portholes and left marks on the paint. But there are also dark marks close to the waterline that don’t match the position of portholes and suggest the ship has sustained external damage.
The images are largely consistent with Ukrainian descriptions of the sinking – that the Moskva was hit by two missiles on its port side which sparked a fire and caused it to roll – and contradict Russia’s account which was that the ship suffered a fire and internal explosion in rough seas.
Video has also since emerged which appears to show two rescue vessels approaching the burning ship – one to the left side and one to the right – in which a Russian voice can be heard speaking. One man says ‘what the f*** are you doing?’ before the short clip ends.
The images show what appears to be damage to the left-hand side of the vessel close to the water line, smoke and fire damage along its left-hand side, missing lifeboats and open helicopter bay doors – suggesting the aircraft has taken off. A rescue ship also appears to be behind the stricken ship, spraying water jets
Moskva (pictured last leaving port on April 10) got into trouble on April 14 while sailing around 60 miles off the coast of Odesa – Ukraine’s largest port – before Moscow confirmed she had sunk on April 15
