The Russian Defense Ministry has now released images of crew members from sunken Moscow. This is the first time the crew has appeared since the ship sank. Russia has admitted that its flagship had sunk after an ammunition explosion. Ukraine’s defense chiefs say they have hit the ship with anti-ship missiles Neptune. Russia claimed that all 500 crew members were rescued on Wednesday. Ukrainian officials said some of the passengers died, including the ship’s captain. Russia’s Defense Ministry has now released a 26-second video claiming to show Russian Navy Admiral Nikolai Gevlenov meeting with crew members. via REUTERS About 100 sailors in uniform from the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet could be seen at a parade point lined up for the meeting. It is not known when the meeting took place. On Friday, Britain’s defense chiefs said Russia was likely to reconsider its position on the Black Sea after the incident. Russia has suffered damage to two key naval assets – the Moskva and the Alligator Saratov – class ship since it invaded Ukraine, the London Defense Ministry said. “Both events are likely to lead Russia to reconsider its position on the Black Sea,” he said. Moskva sank / REUTERS The Soviet-era Moskva was one of only three Slava-class cruisers in the Russian Navy. “Initially operational in 1979, Moskva had completed an extensive overhaul designed to improve its capabilities and only returned to operational status by 2021,” the defense ministry said. On Thursday, Western officials said the damage to the warship’s flagship was another sign of Russian incompetence. “In terms of credibility for Russian forces, it is a huge loss no matter how it happened,” they said. “Whether it is a consequence of incompetence on the ship or an attack by Ukrainian forces. No matter how it happened, it is a huge blow to Russian credibility. I think that is why we see conflicting Russian narratives in this area. “Because either they were vulnerable to an attack by Ukrainians, and that calls into question their ability, or they had a fire on a ship with a capital, which then resulted in the explosion of its magazine, where its ammunition is stored, and that it is just another piece of incompetence “.
