An explosion aboard Russia’s Black Sea flagship caused a stockpile of ammunition to go off and forced its 500 member crew to evacuate on Thursday. Ukraine says they conducted a missile strike that caused the havoc, and that the ship is sinking; Russia claims it was merely a fire and that the vessel remains afloat. Whatever the case, the Moskva – and its 16 missiles – are being towed back to port.
“Regardless of the extent of the damage,” notes The Associated Press, “any attack would represent a major blow to Russian prestige seven weeks into a war that is already widely seen as a historic blunder.”
“Ships operate away from public attention and their activities are rarely the subject of news. But they are large floating pieces of national territory, and when you lose one, a flagship no less, the political and symbolic message — in addition to the military loss — stands out precisely because of it,” said Alessio Patalano, professor of war and strategy at King’s College in London, to CNN.
Reuters echos that sentiment:
The loss or disabling of the Moskva would be another blow for Russia – on the 50th day of its war in Ukraine – as it readies for a new assault in the eastern Donbas region that is likely to define the outcome of the conflict.
Russia’s navy has launched cruise missiles into Ukraine and its activities in the Black Sea are crucial to supporting land operations in the south of the country, where it is battling to seize full control of the port of Mariupol.
Reuters adds:
Kyiv says the Moskva featured in one of the landmark early exchanges of the war, when Ukrainian border guards on Snake Island, a small outcrop in the Black Sea, told the ship to “Go f*ck yourself” after it demanded they surrender.
The AP provides additional context:
The news of the flagship’s damage overshadowed Russian claims of advances in the southern port city of Mariupol, where they have been battling the Ukrainians since the early days of the invasion in some of the heaviest fighting of the war — at a horrific cost to civilians.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Wednesday that 1,026 troops from the Ukrainian 36th Marine Brigade surrendered at a metals factory in the city. But Vadym Denysenko, adviser to Ukraine’s interior minister, rejected the claim, telling Current Time TV that “the battle over the seaport is still ongoing today.”
“Mariupol’s capture is critical for Russia because it would put a swath of territory in its control that would allow its forces in the south, who came up through the annexed Crimean Peninsula, to link up with troops in the eastern Donbas region, Ukraine’s industrial heartland and the target of the coming offensive,” explains the AP.
To stop any Russian momentum, U.S. President Joe Biden has authorized an additional $800 million in military assistance to Ukraine and said the U.S. will step up intelligence sharing with Ukrainian counterparts. Since the start of the war, the U.S. has sent $2.5 billion in military aid to Ukraine.
“We cannot rest now. As I assured President Zelensky, the American people will continue to stand with the brave Ukrainian people in their fight for freedom,” Biden said in a statement.
Reuters provides details:
The new package includes 11 Mi-17 helicopters that had been earmarked for Afghanistan before the U.S.-backed government collapsed last year. It also includes 18 155mm howitzers, along with 40,000 artillery rounds, counter-artillery radars, 200 armored personnel carriers and 300 additional “Switchblade” drones.
This was the first time howitzers have been provided to Ukraine by the United States.
