The statements of one of the most prominent Russian TV presenters follow a tragic symbolic defeat for Moscow with the sinking of the flagship of its fleet in the Black Sea, Moscow. Presenter Olga Skabeyeva asked Rossiya 1 viewers to “recognize” that the country was now “fighting against NATO infrastructure, if not NATO itself.” He said: “Many say ‘could not be done faster?’ Everyone wants it done faster. Everyone would like a final victory. Everyone would like to see all the goals set. “Otherwise, on the whole, it is impossible to accept the special operation we started – the Russian special operation in Ukraine. The presenter continued: “One can safely name what has escalated in World War III. This is absolutely certain. “Right now, we are definitely fighting against NATO infrastructure, if not NATO itself. We have to recognize that. “ It comes as the 610-foot-long flagship Moskva sank on Thursday while being towed back to port, the Russian Defense Ministry said. Moskva sails on the Bosphorus on its way to the Black Sea in July 2021 (REUTERS) Russian defense officials said ammunition on the ship exploded in an unexplained fire, but Ukraine claimed to have hit the ship with Neptune missiles. Moscow has denied that the warship was attacked and said its guided missile launchers were intact. The loss of Moskva dealt a new blow to the Russian offensive as it prepares for a new offensive in the eastern Donbass region that is likely to determine the outcome of the conflict. In his speech Thursday night, President Volodymyr Zelensky told Ukrainians that they should be proud to have survived 50 days under Russian siege when the invaders “gave us a maximum of five”. Describing the ways in which Ukraine defended itself from the attack, Zelensky said “those who showed that Russian warships could be removed, even if they are at the bottom” of the sea. It was his only reference to Moscow. Vladimir Putin and Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s Egyptian counterpart leave Moscow for the Black Sea port of Sochi in August 2014 (via REUTERS) Elsewhere, the Kremlin claimed today that its forces had struck a military target on the edge of Kiev overnight with cruise missiles, before promising to launch more strikes in the Ukrainian capital in response to its attacks on Russian targets. Strong explosions were reported in Kyiv in the wake of Moscow’s announcement of Moskva’s fate. This map shows the extent of the Russian invasion of Ukraine (Press Association Pictures) A statement from the Pentagon said that rockets fired overnight in Kyiv hit the Vizar factory on the outskirts of the city, which it said built and repaired missiles, including anti-ship missiles. “The number and scale of rocket attacks on targets in Kyiv will increase in response to any terrorist attacks or acts of sabotage on Russian soil committed by the nationalist regime in Kiev,” the ministry added.
