MOSCOW: Russia’s guided missile cruiser Moskva has sunk in the Black Sea after being damaged during the military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s defense ministry said late Thursday.
“While being towed ... toward the destination port, the vessel lost its balance due to damage sustained in the hull as fire broke out after ammunition exploded. Given the choppy seas, the vessel sank,” the state news agency TASS quoted the ministry as saying.
The ministry had earlier said that the fire had been contained and that the ship could remain afloat. It had said it would look into the cause of the fire.
The ministry had also said hundreds of crew members had been evacuated to other ships in the Black Sea.
Ukraine said the ship had been hit in a rocket attack.
Odessa military spokesman Sergey Bratchuk said the Moskva was damaged by “Neptune domestic cruise missiles,” in an account largely echoed by the regional governor.
Russia says Black Sea flagship Moskva has sunk
https://arab.news/55mzz
Russia says Black Sea flagship Moskva has sunk
- “Given the choppy seas, the vessel sank," the state news agency TASS quoted the ministry as saying
- The ministry had earlier said that the fire had been contained and that the ship could remain afloat
At least three dead as migrant boat capsizes off Greek island
- An accident occurred when the vessel approached the migrants’ wooden boat
- The search for survivors was continuing with four patrol boats
ATHENS: The bodies of three migrants were picked up in waters off the Greek island of Crete during a rescue effort involving a commercial ship, authorities said Friday.
Twenty migrants were rescued by the commercial vessel which was directed to the area on the orders of the Greek Search and Rescue Center.
According to Greek public broadcaster ERT, an accident occurred when the vessel approached the migrants’ wooden boat. As the passengers tried to climb up ladders into the vessel a sudden movement caused the small boat to capsize.
The search for survivors was continuing with four patrol boats, an aircraft, and two ships from the European border agency Frontex, a spokesperson for the Greek coast guard told AFP.
According to ERT, survivors said about 50 people were aboard the wooden boat.
A second boat carrying around forty migrants was spotted in the area, triggering another rescue operation.
For over a year, migrants have been attempting the perilous crossing from Libya to Crete, the gateway to the European Union.
According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than 16,770 people seeking asylum in the EU arrived in Crete in 2025.
Faced with the surge in arrivals, the conservative Greek government suspended the processing of asylum applications for three months last summer, particularly for those arriving from Libya.
UNHCR says 107 people died or went missing in Greek waters in 2025.
