The Russian ship “Moscow” sank. What happened to the pride of the Russian Navy? Will this change Moscow’s plans?

The CNN station stressed that the sinking of “Moscow” was the greatest loss to a warship during the war in 40 years.

This is the last time Argentina has lost a ship of this size during the Falklands War. On May 2, 1982, the ship “General Belgrano” was attacked by a torpedo launched from the HMS Conqueror, a British nuclear-powered submarine.

The loss of “Moscow” will raise questions not only to the Kremlin, but also to military planners around the world about tactics and fighting at sea.

Ukraine says Moscow was hit by anti-ship Neptune missiles, which caused a fire to explode ammunition. A Pentagon spokesman backed the report on Friday.

Russia has issued its own version of the events: the Russian Defense Ministry says a firecracker of unknown origin exploded ammunition stored on the ship, resulting in explosions damaging the ship’s structure.

The ship is said to have sunk in heavy sea when it was towed to a nearby port. CNN reports that the crew was sent to the port of Sevastopol in the Crimea, according to the Russian state news agency TASS. However, the Ukrainian Coast Guard says about 500 Unable to save team members Due to the storm.

– We saw other ships trying to help, but even the forces of nature were on the side of Ukraine. The storm prevented both the rescue operation and the evacuation of personnel, Ukraine’s Coast Guard spokeswoman Natalia Homeniyuk said on Friday.

Moscow was armed with several anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles, as well as torpedoes, naval rifles and anti-missile defense systems.

Two U.S. intelligence officials, according to CNN, did not believe the ship was carrying nuclear weapons at the time of the sinking.

This event – according to CNN – could have a huge impact on the morale of Russians. Primarily for the Russian Black Sea Navy, “Moscow” was one of the most visible assets during the war in Ukraine. Although Russian officials have warned their citizens about the events in Ukraine, it is difficult to hide the sudden disappearance of such a large ship. This is why the official news of the sinking came out so quickly.

The absence of “Moscow” raises doubts about Russia’s military capabilities as a result of enemy action or by accident. “Both explanations for the Moscow sinking point to potential shortcomings in Russia, such as weak air defense or an incredibly loose defense and the Black Sea Navy’s primary damage control practices,” said researchers Mason Clark, Katarina Stepanenko and George Burroughs of Washington. Institute of War Studies.

Carl Schuster, the former captain of the U.S. Navy, said the suspicions had reached the Kremlin. “Ten years after Vladimir Putin announced his intention to restore naval capability, morale and professionalism, it raises questions about naval capability,” he said. Pointed out.

Analysts, CNN notes, are divided on the impact of the sinking of the Russian invasion. Analysts at the War Research Institute consider the ship to be a relatively small blow, claiming it was primarily used for missile strikes on Ukrainian logistics bases and airports. Russia has landing systems and striking planes, and the same can be done, they said.

At the same time, experts point out that if the Ukrainian rocket led to the sinking, the Russian navy should reconsider its operations, perhaps divert its ships further from Ukrainian territory and adjust anti-aircraft security.