The Russian Defense Ministry said that the main ship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet - the missile cruiser Moskva - was badly damaged after an explosion of ammunition on board, while Ukraine said it hit the ship itself with a missile strike.

"As a result of a fire on the Moskva missile cruiser, an ammunition exploded. The ship was severely damaged," the ministry said in a statement on Thursday, April 14, 2022.

Russian news agencies said that Moskva was armed with 16 Vulcan anti-ship cruise missiles with a range of at least 700 km.

"Moscow" .. The killer of aircraft carriers

The cruiser "Moscow", "Moskva", or "Aircraft Carrier Killer" is one of the most powerful Russian naval forces, and its main mission is to attack aircraft carriers and large naval vessels.

- January 1983: He entered the service and was initially called "Slava", meaning "Glory".

In May 1996: It was renamed "Moscow".

The cruiser "Moscow" is the most well-equipped of the Russian "Varyag" class, with a full payload of 11,300 tons, and it can carry two armed helicopters against ships and submarines, but it carries one Ka-27 helicopter.

The strength of this cruiser stems from the fact that it is equipped with B-500 anti-ship cruise missiles, which have a range of 550 km and 700 km, a speed of 3,000 km per hour, and a warhead of 950 kg.

The cruiser "Moscow" carries 16 S-S-N12 missiles, 4 SAN-4 missiles, two 130-mm cannons, a central anti-missile defense system, and 84 S-300 missiles. It will be replaced by 64 S-400 missiles, and it will be completed by the end of 2015.

Malta summit

- December 1989: The cruiser "Moscow" played a role in the "Malta Summit" between Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and his American counterpart, George HW Bush, where it was used by Soviet negotiators.

The cruiser underwent an extensive 10-year refurbishment process, which began in December 1990 and returned to service in August 1999.

April 2003: The cruiser "Moscow" participated with several naval vessels in joint exercises with the Indian Navy in the Indian Ocean.

- From August 9 to 12, 2008: participated in the armed conflict between Russia and Georgia, where it was spread in the Abkhaz waters.

2013: The cruiser was sent to the Mediterranean in response to the deployment of US naval vessels along the Syrian coast.


Crimean crisis

March 2014: During the Crimean Crisis, the cruiser was responsible for the blockade of the Ukrainian Navy in Lake Donozlav, western Crimea.

June 6-14, 2015: Al-Traded participated in a joint Russian-Egyptian exercise called “Friendship Bridge 2015” in the Mediterranean.

The 30th of September 2015: The cruiser was permanently deployed in the western Mediterranean to secure planes launching raids on Syria.

- November 18, 2015: The cruiser was directed to assist the French forces in their war against the Islamic State, to be transferred later to the Syrian coast near the Turkish-Syrian border on November 25, 2015 in response to Ankara's downing of a Russian Sukhoi-24 fighter.

Black Sea

April 2021: "This is the most dangerous ship in the Black Sea," the agency quoted a retired Russian admiral as saying.

- July 27, 2021: The Russian military fleet announced the entry of the missile cruiser "Moskva" into the Black Sea, coinciding with Moscow's announcement of the start of monitoring the movements of the American ship "Hamilton" in the same region.

- A statement of the Black Sea Fleet stated that the Russian cruiser will conduct combat maneuvers with live ammunition, with the participation of ships of the Black Sea Fleet, military aviation and air defense systems, adding that the sea areas that will witness these maneuvers will be closed.