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| Moscow Ship / /Al Jazeera |
International Military - The sinking of the Slava-class cruiser, the Moskva belonging to the Russian military, cannot be denied. This was confirmed by the Ukrainian Southern Military Command, exactly on the day of the April 13 incident that a Neptune anti-ship missile had hit Moscow.
The ship was then rushed to a nearby port, but unfortunately due to the severe damage and stormy conditions at the time, the Moskva was declared sunk the night after the shooting.
Citing The Guardian, more than 500 crew members on the cruiser Moskva were successfully evacuated using another ship.
Heavy blow for Russia
The sinking of the Moskva was a humiliating defeat for the Russian Navy, after they suffered a similar incident with the Alligator-class amphibious assault ship that was shot down last month. As a very valuable Russian asset, Moskva made only a trivial military contribution, namely only providing two propaganda victories during this war, quotes 19FortyFive.
The attack and sinking of the main ship of the Black Sea fleet – 50 days after Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine – was a symbolic blow to the Kremlin. Moscow is the pride of Russia's Black Sea naval fleet and the most prestigious ship involved in the war against Ukraine. “It is a symbolic blow for Russia. This ship was the pride of their navy in the Black Sea and the most prestigious ship involved in this battle.
The sinking of the Moskva was not just a material loss, it was symbolic of Russia's chaotic military tactics," said Michael Kofman, director of the research program and Russia expert at the Center for Naval Analysis at The Guardian.
A US Defense official considered that Ukraine's success in sinking one of Russia's flagship ships was a testament to it. After that incident, five Russian ships closer than the Moskva on the Ukrainian coast have moved at least 20 miles.
This effort shows that the Russian naval fleet wants to get out of the range of Ukrainian missiles, citing The Guardian. “After the damage to the Moskva, all Russian ships in the Northern Black Sea have moved away from where they operate. At this point, we are holding them no closer than about 80 nautical miles from shore,” the Defense Official said.
The Moskva is not only the flagship but also the most powerful ship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in terms of weapons and sensors. This ship led the fleet from the start of the war, played a key role in the capture of Snake Island, and supported the show of force of the amphibious units.
The loss of the ship usually triggers a national trauma increasing the psychological effect. The loss of a warship is very different from other assets, because the ship is considered part of the land of the country, quoted Naval News. Naval News added that the incident also highlighted the failure of Russian military intelligence to detect the anti-ship missile capabilities that the Ukrainian Armed Forces acquired in the midst of the war.
Russian troops could try to retaliate with heavy air strike tactics on Odesa, neutralizing the Ukrainian defense systems along the coast. However, this proves that Russia recognizes the prowess of Ukraine's defense that its flagship has been disabled.