Experts say the loss of the Moskva — the flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet — is significant both symbolically and militarily, even if it doesn't deal a decisive blow to Russia's overall operations.
The Cold War-era ship played roles in conflicts in Georgia and SyriaThe ship was built in then-Soviet Ukraine – in the southern city of Mykolaiv, which has been heavily bombarded by Russian forces in recent days – and launched in 1979.
The loss of the Moskva constitutes a major propaganda victory for Ukraine, especially given its perceived involvement in the Snake Island incident, according to U.S.-based think tank TheISW says the ship's sinking provides a boon to Ukrainian morale as a symbol of its capabilities to strike back at the Russian navy. And, on the other side, it says the Kremlin will struggle to explain what happened.
The ship had the capacity to carry 16 long-range cruise missiles , so its absence will somewhat shrink Russia's firepower in the Black Sea. It had recently undergone an extensive refit to improve its capability and had only returned to operational status in 2021, theThe ISW says the loss of the Moskva is unlikely to"deal a decisive blow to Russian operations as a whole.
Reuters said that if Ukraine's claims of missile strikes are true, the attack on the Moskva could take its place as one of the highest-profile naval attacks of the century.
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