Breaking: Russia admits flagship Moskva sank in Black Sea

Russia’s biggest warship ‘Moskva’ has sunk in the Black Sea while being towed to port, the Russian Defense Ministry said, according to RT.com.

The missile cruiser Moskva, flagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, sank amid stormy sea conditions, the defense ministry in Moscow said on Thursday.

According to the Russian military, the warship’s hull had been damaged by an ammunition explosion, itself caused by a fire on board, on Wednesday.

Ukrainian officials claimed their forces had struck the vessel with anti-ship missiles.

The Pentagon said it could not confirm the claim.

A US drone circled above the cruiser on Thursday, monitoring its progress towards Sevastopol.

“While being towed to the port destination, due to hull damage caused by ammunition detonation sparked by fire, the cruiser Moskva lost stability. In the stormy sea conditions, the ship sank,” the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday evening.

The Moskva was reportedly some 90 kilometers south of Odessa on Wednesday when a fire broke out on board.

This caused the unspecified ammunition stores to explode and damaged the hull, according to the Russian military.

The cruiser’s crew was evacuated by nearby Black Sea Fleet ships, and tugs dispatched to tow the Moskva to Crimea for repairs.

As of Thursday morning, Moscow was saying that explosions on board had stopped and the fire had been extinguished, and that the cruiser was on its way to port for repairs.

It was not mentioned again during the regular briefing on military operations in Ukraine later in the day.