The Russian cruiser sank on April 14. The Kremlin first recognized losses in this sinking.
A sailor has died and 27 others are still missing after the sinking of the cruiser Moskva last week, Russia’s defense ministry said, which recognized casualties in the sinking for the first time.
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†One soldier was killed and 27 other crew members are missingThe ministry, quoted by Russian news agencies, said the other 396 people on board had been evacuated. †The Ministry of Defense offers all necessary support and assistance to the families and friends of the deceased and missinghe added.
Up to 680 crew members
The Moskva, the flagship of the Russian Black Sea fleet, which can officially number up to 680 crew, sank on April 14. The sinking of the Moskva is widely seen as a humiliation for Russia and its fleet, and even pro-Kremlin commentators have sought clarification from authorities. Russia claims the ship sank due to exploding ammunition on board and bad weather conditions that made towing difficult. But Ukraine says it sunk the building with missiles.
The Russian authorities had so far announced no loss during the sinking, initially claiming that the entire crew had been evacuated. The Russian Defense Ministry released a video on Saturday showing a meeting between the commander of the navy and the survivors of the Moskva. At the same time, however, several testimonies published in recent days by Russian-language media and on social networks have reported missing sailors, including very young men doing their military service.
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A man in Crimea, Dmitry Chkrebets, who presents himself as the father of a missing person, published a post on the social network Vkontakte on Sunday evening asking why his son, a conscript, was in a combat zone. A woman, Yulia Tsyvova, also told several media that her son was missing.
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