KazPost

Kazakhstan News
Wednesday, Apr 24, 2024

Dramatic images appear to show sinking Russian warship Moskva

Dramatic images appear to show sinking Russian warship Moskva

Dramatic pictures - and a credible video - showing the Russian warship Moskva before it sank last week have appeared online.

The video and images match the shape and design of the missile cruiser.

Russia says a fire onboard caused ammunitions to explode and the vessel sank as it was being towed in a storm. Ukraine says it hit it with missiles.

The new images do not immediately back the claims of either side - but there is no sign of a storm at the time.

What do the video and images show?


The images were allegedly taken on 14 April, a day after Ukraine claimed to have struck the warship.

The three-second video clip - likely taken from a rescue boat - shows the Moskva in the distance listing heavily on her port side.

A tug, likely a Russian Shakhter, is on its right.

Smoke can be seen billowing out of the ship, with a section of the freeboard heavily damaged.

Holes are also visible in other parts of the freeboard in one picture, suggesting the warship had taken in a substantial amount of water.

It also appears all of the vessel's lifeboats had been deployed.

Is there more detail on the cause?


Ukraine says it successfully struck the Moskva with two recently-introduced Ukrainian-made Neptune missiles last Wednesday.

Unnamed US officials have told US media they believe the Ukrainian version.

Russia alleges it was damaged after an explosion and subsequently sank because of "stormy seas".

The BBC showed the footage to three naval experts who agreed the damage appeared consistent with a missile attack, but disagreed over whether other causes were still possible.


Jonathan Bentham, of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, concluded that the vessel in the images was certainly a Slava-class cruiser and "probably" the Moskva.

Mr Bentham said the visible damage sustained by the cruiser looked like it may have been caused by a Neptune missile attack, but stressed it was not possible to rule out other causes at this stage.

"The smoke marks on the portside seem to be near the waterline. That might indicate sea-skimming missiles, which the Neptune missiles are reported to be," Mr Bentham said.

Leaking fuel


Another expert, Rear Admiral Chris Parry, who previously commanded a Royal Navy destroyer, told the BBC he was sure the damage was caused by a missile strike.

"You can see a very jagged imploded ship's side," Rear Adm Parry said. "If it was an internal explosion, you'd see plating sticking outwards rather than inwards. But this suggests penetration and subsequent explosion. No doubt it's been hit by one or two missiles."

The former Nato commander said one explanation for the extensive smoke damage was that missiles being stored onboard became punctured in a strike and leaked their fuel the along the ship's decks, causing a devastating fire.

"You can see the decks are completely buckled, the whole ship looks like it's burnt out. I think the fuel has run along the decks, even down the back end," he suggested.

Exploding ammunition


Another military expert, Sidharth Kaushal of the Royal United Services Institute, noted to the BBC that the main area of fire damage is "where the ammunition for the ship's anti-aircraft guns are".

"One working hypothesis is that a fire started by the initial strike cooked off the ammunition from the anti-aircraft guns," Kaushal said.


Sea conditions


While conditions can vary at different times, there's nothing in the video to confirm the Kremlin's initial assertion that the Moskva sank due to stormy conditions.

Prior to the sinking, Russia's defence ministry issued a statement saying "the vessel is seriously damaged. The entire crew have been evacuated".

The BBC has not been able to verify the claims.

Russia has also not admitted any casualties. On Saturday, the Russian defence ministry published footage showing what it described as the crew of the Moskva on parade in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol.

The 510-crew warship had led Russia's naval assault on Ukraine, which made it an important symbolic and military target.

Earlier in the conflict the Moskva gained notoriety after calling on Ukrainian border troops defending Snake Island in the Black Sea to surrender - to which they memorably radioed a message of refusal which loosely translates as "go to hell".


Newsletter

Related Articles

KazPost
0:00
0:00
Close
It's always the people with the dirty hands pointing their fingers
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
Europe is boiling: Extreme Weather Conditions Prevail Across the Continent
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
Historic Moment: Edgars Rinkevics, EU's First Openly Gay Head of State, Takes Office as Latvia's President
An Ominous Shift in Warfare: Western Powers Risk War Crimes and Violate International Norms with Cluster Bomb Supply to Ukraine
Bye bye democracy, human rights, freedom: French Cops Can Now Secretly Activate Phone Cameras, Microphones And GPS To Spy On Citizens
The Poor Man With Money, Mark Zuckerberg, Unveils Twitter Replica with Heavy-Handed Censorship: A New Low in Innovation?
The Double-Edged Sword of AI: AI is linked to layoffs in industry that created it
US Sanctions on China's Chip Industry Backfire, Prompting Self-Inflicted Blowback
Meta Copy Twitter with New App, Threads
The New French Revolution
BlackRock Bitcoin ETF Application Refiled, Naming Coinbase as ‘Surveillance-Sharing’ Partner
Corruption in the European Parliament - Business as usual
UK Crypto and Stablecoin Regulations Become Law as Royal Assent is Granted
Paris Suburb Grapples with Violence as Curfew Imposed: Saint-Denis Residents Express Dismay and Anger
A Delaware city wants to let businesses vote in its elections
Alef Aeronautics Achieves Historic Milestone with Flight Certification for World's First Flying Car
Google Blocked Access to Canadian News in Response to New Legislation
French Politicians Advocate for Pan-European Regulation on Social Media Influencers
×