The U.S. Defense Department reportedly revealed its conclusion on Friday that the Russian Black Sea Fleet flagship Moskva sank after being struck by two Ukraine-launched missiles. Britain s defense ministry said the loss of the ship will cause Moscow to change its naval forces operations in the Black Sea.
The reason for the sinking of the Moskva had been in dispute. Ukraine said it struck the vessel with missiles, while Moscow acknowledged a fire on board but not any attack.
The Pentagon assessment determined that the missiles that stuck the Moskva were Ukrainian-manufactured Neptune missiles. In an update posted Friday on social media, the U.K. Ministry of Defense said the Soviet-era ship returned to operational service last year after a major refit, served a key role as both a command vessel and air defence node. It said the sinking means Russia has suffered damage to two key naval assets since invading Ukraine, the first of which was Russia's Alligator-class landing ship Saratov on 24 March. Russia will have to review its naval posture in the Black Sea because of both events.