Either Neptune or S-300F missile sank the Russian cruiser Moscow
MOSCOW, ($1=82.35 Russian Rubles) — The Russian missile cruiser Moscow is already at the bottom of the Black Sea, BulgarianMilitary.com has learned, citing Russian and Ukrainian sources. Information from Russia and Ukraine about the reason for the sinking of Moscow is different.
According to the Russian state news agency TASS, a fire broke out on the missile cruiser, which caused the explosion of the ammunition with which it was armed or transported. TASS reports that the entire crew of the ship was evacuated. Early in the morning of April 14, the Intelsky Twitter account wrote that the missile cruiser was already at the bottom of the Black Sea.
According to Ukrainian media, the local coastal anti-ship missile Neptune hit the Russian cruiser, causing an explosion and sinking of the ship. “It has been confirmed that the missile cruiser Moscow today went exactly where it was sent by our border guards on Snake Island!” Odessa governor Maksym Marchenko said in a Telegram message on Tuesday. “Neptune missiles guarding the Black Sea caused very serious damage to the Russian ship.”
Neptune and S-300F
The Russian missile cruiser Moscow is a project from the 1970s designed to oppose the United States and the West during the Cold War. There is little ammunition that could cause serious damage to the hull as a result of a fire. This is an anti-ship missile P-1000 “Volcano” with a warhead, in the usual version – 500 kg. Or one of the S-300F missiles – a naval version of the S-300 that exploded inside the hull.
Ukraine conducted the first flight test of its coastal anti-ship missile Neptune in June 2020, as we reported then. When deployed, a Neptune coastal defense system comprises a USPU-360 truck-based mobile launcher, four missiles, a TZM-360 transport / reload vehicle, an RCP-360 command, and a control vehicle, and a special cargo vehicle. The system is designed to operate up to 25 kilometers [16 mi] inland of the coastline.
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 21 February 2022, the Russian government claimed that Ukrainian shelling had destroyed an FSB border facility on the Russia Ukraine border, and claimed that it had killed 5 Ukrainian soldiers who tried to cross into Russian territory. Ukraine denied being involved in both incidents and called them a false flag.
On the same day, the Russian government formally recognized the self-proclaimed DPR and LPR as independent states, according to Putin not only in their de-facto controlled areas, but the Ukrainian Oblasts as a whole, and Putin ordered Russian troops, including tanks, to enter the regions.
On 24 February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion of Ukraine by Russian Armed Forces previously concentrated along the border. The invasion followed by targeted airstrikes of military buildings in the country, as well as tanks entering via the Belarus border.
Russia has so far not recognized the invasion of Ukraine as a “war”, although that is exactly what it is, claiming that it is a “special military operation”. According to the UN, in which Russia has its permanent representation, for military action to be defined as a “special military operation”, it must have a resolution issued by the UN. There is no such resolution, which automatically defines the military actions of the Russians as an invasion and war against the citizens of Ukraine.
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