Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation: one crew member was killed on the cruiser "Moscow", 27 were missing
The Russian Defense Ministry first reported losses due to the incident with the cruiser "Moscow", the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet. She sank on April 14, having received serious damage due to a fire and ammunition exploding on board. They tried to save the ship to the last, but it failed because of the storm. Ukraine claims that the APU shot down the cruiser with missiles, Russia did not confirm this information.
One person from the crew of the cruiser "Moscow" was killed when the sailors tried to save the damaged ship, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
Senior midshipman Ivan Vakhrushev died on the cruiser "Moscow", he tried to put out the fire, said the governor of Sevastopol Mikhail Razvozzhaev.
- the governor wrote in Telegram.
Razvozzhaev clarified that in Sevastopol they said goodbye to the deceased midshipman.
From the new report of the Ministry of Defense it follows that the crew of the cruiser consisted of 424 people. Among them were conscripts. 396 people were rescued. They were evacuated by the nearest ships of the Black Sea Fleet and taken to Sevastopol. The Ministry of Defense indicated that it provides all necessary support and assistance to the relatives and friends of the deceased and the missing.
The ministry also reported that most of the survivors want to continue serving in the Black Sea Fleet.
Some servicemen asked for transfer to other garrisons. They will continue to serve on ships of other fleets. Conscripted employees will be discharged into the reserve after the end of their service.
What happened to the cruiser "Moscow". Chronicle of events
The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the night of April 14 reported that a fire had started on the cruiser. What caused it - the Russian Ministry still does not specify.
Then it was noted that "the causes of the fire are being established."
According to the Ukrainian side, "Moscow" was hit by the Ukrainian army with the help of two cruise missiles "Neptune". The Russian side did not confirm this information.
On the afternoon of April 14, the Ministry of Defense reported that the fire on the cruiser had been localized, there was no open gorenje. The main missile armament was not damaged, the ammunition on board stopped exploding. The cruiser "kept buoyancy", and they tried to tow it to the port.
However, on the evening of April 14, the Ministry of Defense reported that the cruiser had sunk after all. A storm began at sea, and the hull of the ship "lost stability" due to severe damage (the ability of the vessel to maintain balance on the water, despite external conditions, for example, a storm wind).
The next day in Sevastopol they said goodbye to the sunken cruiser, the former flagship of the Black Sea Fleet. Veterans of the Black Sea Fleet and residents of the city brought flowers and a wreath to the monument of the 300th anniversary of the Russian fleet. On the funeral ribbon of the wreath was the inscription "To the Ship and the sailors." The governor of Sevastopol said that the cruiser "Moscow" was a "real symbol" for the city.
"The killer of aircraft carriers." The history of the legendary ship
The cruiser "Moscow" was more than 40 years old. It was launched in 1979, and then this ship was called "Glory". It was built as part of the Soviet project 1164. Missile cruisers of this type are the most powerful in the Russian navy (not counting nuclear-powered ships).
The sunken cruiser could attack large enemy ships, carry out air defense of remote formations and fire support for the landing. The cruiser was capable of carrying 16 anti-ship missiles P-1000 "Vulkan" with a target range of up to a thousand kilometers, anti-submarine and mine-torpedo weapons, air defense systems, had its own helicopter. The standard crew of the cruiser was 510 people. In the Russian press, this ship was called the "killer of aircraft carriers", the "forge of admirals".
The cruiser has repeatedly participated in parades and demonstration shooting, military exercises. It was also used for important political events and in real combat operations.
In 1989, the cruiser was used during a meeting between Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and U.S. President George W. Bush in Malta. They met a week after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the Malta summit was regarded as a sign of the end of the Cold War. The Soviet delegation at the summit rested on board the Slava.
In the 90s, it was time to repair the cruiser, but the Black Sea Fleet did not have money. They wanted to write off the Slava, but in the end the command offered Moscow to intercept the patronage of the ship. The leadership of the capital agreed, and in 1996 the ship was renamed from "Glory" to "Moscow".
In 2001, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma boarded the cruiser together. They participated in joint celebrations on the occasion of the Russian Fleet holiday.
In 2008, the cruiser "Moscow" participated in a military operation in Georgia. After that, he stood in the port of Sukhum, the capital of Abkhazia. In 2014, the cruiser blocked Donuzlav Bay, where Ukrainian warships were based, and prevented them from leaving Crimea.
In 2015, the cruiser arrived on the coast of Syria and joined the Syrian fighting. He headed the permanent operational unit of the Russian Navy in the eastern Mediterranean, provided anti-aircraft cover for the Russian air group in Syria.
During the Russian special operation in Ukraine, the cruiser captured the island of Zmeiny, where more than 80 Ukrainian border guards surrendered.
The cruiser "Moscow" was one of the most armed ships of the fleet in terms of air defense, even if not with the newest weapons, said Ilya Kramnik, an employee of the Center for North American Studies of the IMEMO RAS, a specialist in the Navy. At the same time, according to the expert, the loss of the cruiser will not particularly affect the course of the special operation in Ukraine. It is more about image losses for Russia. According to the expert, the cruiser was used mainly to provide information from its radar system to the rest of the fleet group, and not to attack.
After the loss of the "Moscow", Russia has only two similar ships left: "Marshal Ustinov" and "Varyag". They were also built in Soviet times. "Marshal Ustinov" refers to the Northern Fleet, "Varyag" to the Pacific.
Anna Gromova
