The Moskva cruise ship, the flagship of the Russian Black Sea fleet, was hit by Ukrainian missiles, causing severe damage, according to a Ukrainian military source. The Russians deny this and claim that the damage is caused by a fire inside the ship. Russia has moved its ships in the northern Black Sea to the south as a result of this attack, according to a high-ranking U.S. Defense Department official.
Russia's Defense Ministry denied reports that the warship had sunk to the bottom of the Black Sea. The Moskva had retained buoyancy, with fires extinguished and the crew moved to another vessel.
Russia has threatened to deploy nuclear weapons in the Baltics if Sweden and Finland join NATO. It will be necessary to strengthen the group of ground forces, anti-aircraft defense, deploy significant naval forces in the waters of the Gulf of Finland. It won't be possible to speak of a Baltic Sea without nuclear weapons in that case. The balance must be restored, said Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council.
On the 50th day of the fighting, Russian shelling continues in the Kharkov region of northeastern Russia. At least four people have been killed and ten wounded. In the south, the mayor's office affirms that the number of civilians killed in the attacks exceeds 20,000 and it is not excluded that it could reach 30,000. Russia is in possession of the port, but has yet to take the industrial part.