Ukrainian Navy unveils details of Russian Black Sea Fleet flagship’s destruction on second anniversary

The New Voice of Ukraine
·2 min read
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Cruiser Moskva
Cruiser Moskva

On the second anniversary of the destruction of the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the cruiser Moskva, Ukrainian Navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk finally revealed details of the meticulously planned and executed operation in his April 13 interview with the Ukrainian news outlet Novosti.LIVE.

“Of course, luck is always an important element, but clear planning of the combat operation, patience and monitoring have brought results. When our naval command saw the opportunity to destroy the flagship, we were ready for it,” he said, noting that the enemy was unprepared for the attack.

“They didn’t even suspect that we have our own cruise missile and that we can even carry out a fire strike.”

The cloudy and rainy weather conditions on the day of the attack also worked in Ukraine’s favor and played an important role in the flagship sinking.

The first missile hit effectively left the ship without much of its command staff.

“The crew could no longer receive the appropriate orders, and they did not act on their own initiative, and so, of course, they lost the ship. In addition, judging by the events that accompanied this operation, the enemy (ship) was moving slowly. That is, the occupiers were not even afraid and in their imperial ambitions believed that they were on a so-called ‘aircraft carrier killer’ and were untouchable.”

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The operation lasted less than an hour. According to Pletenchuk, the Russians, who have three levels of air defense, did not even use them to their full extent. Two of the ship’s three air defense systems were “silent.”

“It looked as if there were empty posts. That’s why this Russian “maybe it will work out” (saying) has once again worked against” them.

The Ukrainian Navy attacked the Moskva on April 13, 2022. The ship was hit by two Ukrainian-made Neptune anti-ship cruise missiles from the coastal anti-ship system of the same name (RK-360MC Neptune). The cruiser was severely damaged and sank the following day. Up to 500 people were on board, though Russia has not announced the exact number of casualties. Russia has only recognized 17 people as dead – claiming “munition detonation” and “fire” with subsequent flooding due to a “storm” as the reasoning.

According to the then secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, Oleksii Danilov, the Russian navy managed to rescue 58 out of the Moskva’s 510 crew members.

The official Russian casualty figures include one dead and 27 missed in action (MIA). Some media reports suggested that more than half of the cruiser’s crew were conscripts.

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