Photo: RUSSIAN MINISTRY OF DEFENSE / Courtesy
It has been one of the big questions since the Moskva, the flagship of the Russian Navy in the Black Sea, exploded and sank this week: what happened to the more than 500 crew members on board?
The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed last Wednesday a “fire” on the boat and assured that it had evacuated its soldiers.
A day later, he reported that the ship had sunk due to “bad weather”.
He did not elaborate on the causes, but Ukraine assured before Russia confirmed the news that it had hit the ship with two Neptune missiles.
Since then, the fate of the crew of the most important Russian ship in the Black Sea aroused all kinds of conjecture.
This Saturday, the Russian Ministry of Defense published images showing what it claims to be the crew of the Moskva.
It is not clear when the images were taken or if, in fact, they are the real crew of the ship, but it is the first time that Moscow presents soldiers as survivors of what happened on the ship.
The sinking of the Moskva has been described as a major blow to Russian military morale, given its relevance and symbolism for the country’s naval power.
Why the sinking of the Moskva is a hard blow to Russian morale and to its naval force
What did Russia show
In the pictures a group of soldiers are seen at a military ceremony at what appears to be a naval base in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol, being greeted by the commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy, Nikolai Yevmenov.
The video shows Admiral Yevmenov and others two officers standing in front of each other sailors. It is not explained what happened to the rest of those who were apparently on the ship.
In a speech shown at the end of the video, Yevmenov says officers and crew currently reside at their base in Sevastopol and will continue their service in the navy.
- Russia admits the sinking of its flagship in the Black Sea after it was seriously damaged in an explosion
Russia has reported no casualties from the fire or sinking.
However, a US official quoted by Reuters , whose identity was not disclosed, said that Washington intelligence believed there were victims.
Ukraine maintains that the ship’s captain, Anton Kuprin, died on board, but the BBC has been unable to confirm this claim.
The Moskva
The Moscow to, from ,490 tons, is the largest Russian warship to be sunk in action since World War II.
The first day of the invasion of Ukraine, the 24 February, the ship gained notoriety after radioing a small garrison of Ukrainian border troops defending Snake Island in the Black Sea to surrender.
The Ukrainians responded with a memorable expletive-laden message.
Originally built in the Soviet era, the Moskva entered service in the early 1990s 1980.
The vessel was assembled in the city of Mikolaiv, in the south of Ukraine Nia, which has been heavily bombed by Russia in recent days.
The guided missile cruiser was previously deployed by Moscow in the Syrian conflict , where it supplied Russian forces in the country with naval protection from the Mediterranean.
It is also the second large ship that Russia has lost since the beginning of its invasion of Ukraine.
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