45°17′42″N 30°52′44″E / 45.2951°N 30.8789°E / 45.2951; 30.8789

Moskva (121)
Moskva seen from the air in 2012
History
→ Soviet Union → Russia
NameSlava (in Soviet service), Moskva (from 1995)
NamesakeGlory (1979–1995), Moscow (1995–2022)
Builder61 Kommunara Shipbuilding Plant (SY 445), Nikolayev, Ukrainian SSR
Laid down1976
Launched27 July 1979[1]
Commissioned30 January 1983
DecommissionedSeptember 1990
ReinstatedApril 2000
Identification121
FateSunk by two Ukrainian R-360 Neptune anti-ship missiles on 14 April 2022[2][lower-alpha 1]
NotesFlagship of the Black Sea Fleet
General characteristics
Class and typeSlava-class cruiser
Displacement
  • 9,380 tons standard
  • 11,490 tons full load[3]
Length186.4 m (611 ft 7 in)[3]
Beam20.8 m (68 ft 3 in)[3]
Draught8.4 m (27 ft 7 in)[3]
Speed32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph)[3]
Complement419 enlisted men and 66 officers[4]
Armament
ArmourSplinter plating
Aircraft carried1 Ka-25 or Ka-27 helicopter

Moskva, formerly Slava,[lower-alpha 2] was a guided missile cruiser of the Russian Navy. Commissioned in 1983, she was the lead ship of the Project 1164 Atlant class, named after the city of Moscow. With a crew of 510, Moskva was the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet and the most powerful warship in the region.

The cruiser was deployed during conflicts in Georgia (2008), Crimea (2014), and Syria (2015). She led the naval assault during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, from February 2022 until her sinking on 14 April 2022.

History

Slava c. 1983

As Slava

Slava was laid down in 1976 in Shipyard 445 of the 61 Kommunara Shipbuilding Plant in Mykolaiv, Ukrainian SSR, launched in 1979, and commissioned into the Soviet Navy on 30 January 1983. Between 18 and 22 November 1986, the ship visited the Greek port of Piraeus.

Slava played a role in the Malta Summit (2–3 December 1989) between Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and US President George H. W. Bush.[5] She was used by the Soviet delegation, while the US delegation had their sleeping quarters aboard USS Belknap.[6][7][8] The ships were anchored in a roadstead off the coast of Marsaxlokk. Stormy weather and choppy seas resulted in some meetings being cancelled or rescheduled, and gave rise to the moniker the "Seasick Summit" among international media. In the end, the meetings took place aboard Maxim Gorkiy, a Soviet cruise ship anchored in Marsaxlokk Bay.[9]

Slava returned to Mykolaiv in December 1990 for a refit that lasted until late 1998.[10] On 15 May 1995, the ship was formally renamed Moskva.[11]

As Moskva

Moskva in 2009
Moskva in 2012
President Vladimir Putin with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu aboard the missile cruiser Moskva, August 2014
"Russian warship, go fuck yourself" stamp issued by the Ukrainian government starting in 2022, depicting the Moskva in the background

Recommissioned into the Russian Navy in April 2000, Moskva replaced the Kynda-class cruiser Admiral Golovko as the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.[12]

In early April 2003, Moskva, along with the frigate Pytlivyy, Smetlivy, and a landing ship departed Sevastopol for exercises in the Indian Ocean with a Pacific Fleet task group (Marshal Shaposhnikov and Admiral Panteleyev) and the Indian Navy.[13] The force was supported by the Project 1559V tanker Ivan Bubnov and the Project 712 ocean-going tug Shakhter.

Moskva visited Malta's Grand Harbour in October 2004, and the Ensemble of the Black Sea Fleet performed at a concert at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta for the occasion.[14] In 2008 and 2009, she visited the Mediterranean and participated in naval drills with the ships of the Northern Fleet.[15]

In August 2008, in support of the Russian invasion of Georgia, Moskva was deployed to secure the Black Sea.[16] During a brief surface engagement, the Georgian Navy scored one missile hit on Moskva before being overwhelmed.[17] After Russia's recognition of Abkhazia's independence, the ship was stationed at the Abkhazian capital, Sukhumi.[18]

On 3 December 2009, Moskva was laid up for a month at floating dry dock PD-30 in Sevastopol for a scheduled interim overhaul which comprised replacement of cooling and other machinery, reclamation work at the bottom and outboard fittings, propulsion shafts and screws, clearing and painting of bottom and above-water parts of the ship's hull.[12]

In April 2010 it was reported that Moskva would join other navy units in the Indian Ocean to conduct exercises.[19] In August 2013 the cruiser visited Havana, Cuba.[20]

In late August 2013, Moskva was deployed to the Mediterranean Sea in response to the build-up of US warships along the coast of Syria.[21] During the Russian invasion of Crimea in 2014, Moskva blockaded the Ukrainian fleet in Donuzlav Lake.[22]

On 17 September 2014, Moskva was deployed to the Mediterranean Sea, taking shift from guard ship Pytlivy.[15]

In July 2015, Moskva visited Luanda, to strengthen military cooperation with Angola.[23] From the end of September 2015, while in the eastern Mediterranean, the cruiser was charged with the air defences for the Russian aviation group based near the Syrian town of Latakia that conducted the air campaign in Syria.[24] On 25 November 2015, after the 2015 Russian Sukhoi Su-24 shootdown, it was reported that Moskva, armed with the S-300F surface-to-air missile system,[25] would be deployed near the coastal Syria-Turkey border.[26] In 2016, she was replaced by sister ship Varyag in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.[27] On 22 July 2016 Moskva was awarded the Order of Nakhimov.[28]

Upon return from her deployment in January 2016, Moskva was to undergo a refit and upgrade but due to lack of funds her future remained uncertain as of July 2018.[29][30]

In June 2019, Moskva left the port of Sevastopol in the Black Sea to test her combat systems and main propulsion.[31]

In February 2020, Russian Orthodox officials said that a very rare and important Christian relic purported to be a part of the True Cross on which Jesus was crucified was to be placed aboard the ship.[32][33]

On 3 July 2020, Moskva completed two and a half months of repairs and maintenance intended to allow her to remain in service until 2040.[34][35] The first post-repair deployment was scheduled for August 2020; however, in reality, she only began to prepare for the deployment in February 2021.[36][37] She was at sea on exercises in March 2021,[38] and fired the new Vulkan anti-ship missiles in April 2021.[39]

Russian invasion of Ukraine

Snake Island campaign

Moskva, the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, helped lead the naval assault during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine from February until April 2022.[40][41] She was the most powerful surface vessel in the Black Sea region at the time,[42] and Ukraine's only threat against it were a limited number of Neptune missiles.[43]

In February 2022, the cruiser left Sevastopol to participate in the attack on Ukraine.[44] The ship was later used against the Ukrainian armed forces during the attack on Snake Island, together with the Russian patrol boat Vasily Bykov.[45] Moskva hailed the island's garrison over the radio and demanded its surrender, and was told "Russian warship, go fuck yourself". After this, all contact was lost with Snake Island, and the thirteen-member Ukrainian garrison was captured.[46] Slava-class cruisers are built for both air and sea superiority, and have no land-attack missiles. Moskva mainly stayed behind other Russian warships, providing air cover for military demonstrations of amphibious landings with Odesa as the apparent target.[47]

Sinking

External image
image icon Moskva on fire and listing to port

In the late hours of 13 April 2022 Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych reported Moskva was on fire and Odesa governor Maksym Marchenko said their forces hit Moskva with two R-360 Neptune anti-ship missiles.[48] A radar image showed the ship was about 80 nautical miles (150 km) south of Odesa around 19:00 local time (GMT+3), shortly after the damage occurred.[49] Two reports indicated the ship sank before 03:00, 14 April.[50]

The Russian Ministry of Defence said a fire caused a munitions explosion, and the ship sank in stormy seas while being towed to port.[51][52] Moskva is the largest warship to be sunk in combat since the ARA General Belgrano in the 1982 Falklands War, and the largest Russian warship to be sunk since World War II.[53][54]

According to the Lithuanian defense minister, there were 485 crew members aboard, including 66 officers. He also said that a Turkish ship responded to a distress call and saved 54 crew members at 2 a.m. local time.[4] Russia stated one sailor from the Moskva was killed and 27 were missing, while 396 crew members were rescued.[55] In November 2022, after families demanded information, a Russian court in Crimea acknowledged the deaths of a further 17 sailors, mostly conscripts. A Russian recruitment office mistakenly sent conscription papers to a missing Moskva sailor in October 2022.[56][57]

Ukraine has officially declared the wreck of the ship to be an underwater cultural heritage site.[58][59]

Notes

  1. ↑ Not acknowledged by the Russian government, cause of catastrophic damage disputed by Russian netizens.
  2. ↑ The current name in Russian: Москва, 'Moscow', pronounced [mɐskˈva]. Her former name in Russian: Слава, 'Glory'.

References

  1. ↑ "Slava (6127466)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  2. ↑ "Russia says flagship missile cruiser has sunk after explosion off coast of Ukraine". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 14 April 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Jane's fighting ships, 2009-2010 (112th ed.). Coulsdon: Jane's Information Group. 2009. p. 666. ISBN 978-0710628886.
  4. 1 2 "Turkish ship rescues over 50 Russian sailors from naval cruiser Moskva". TRT World. 15 April 2022. Archived from the original on 15 April 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  5. ↑ "Factbox: The 'Moskva', Russia's lost Black Sea Fleet flagship". Reuters. 14 April 2022. Archived from the original on 14 April 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  6. ↑ Dowd, Maureen (3 December 1989). "The Malta Summit: Reporter's Notebook; Superpowers Cooperating, But Not Seas". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 11 October 2015. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  7. ↑ "The Malta Summit : Today's Schedule". Los Angeles Times. 2 December 1989. Archived from the original on 3 October 2015. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  8. ↑ Shanker, Thom (2 November 1989). "Ships Off Malta Site For Seaborne Summit". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 4 October 2015. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  9. ↑ Martin, Ivan (14 April 2022). "Russian flagship damaged off Ukraine was in Malta for superpower summit". The Times (Malta). Archived from the original on 14 April 2022.
  10. ↑ "Slava Class Guided Missile Cruiser". naval-technology.com. 13 June 2010. Archived from the original on 13 April 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  11. ↑ "Guided Missile Cruiser Moskva - Project 1164 / Slava Class". www.kchf.ru.
  12. 1 2 "Project 1164 Atlant Krasina/Slava class Guided Missile Cruiser". GlobalSecurity.org. 3 June 2014. Archived from the original on 25 April 2007. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  13. ↑ Scott, Richard (16 April 2003). "Russia deploys naval squadron to Indian Ocean". Jane's Defence Weekly.
  14. ↑ Cachia, Francis (3 October 2004). "Moskva in Malta". The Times (Malta). Archived from the original on 14 April 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  15. 1 2 "Крейсер "Москва" вернулся в Севастополь после дальнего похода" [The cruiser "Moskva" returned to Sevastopol after a long trip] (in Russian). Interfax. Archived from the original on 20 January 2018. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  16. ↑ "Russian navy blockade Georgia". Xinhua News Agency. 10 August 2008. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  17. ↑ Axe, David. "Georgian Navy's Cruel Fate". Wired. Archived from the original on 14 April 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  18. ↑ "Russian warships sent to Abkhazia". Al Jazeera. 28 August 2008. Archived from the original on 2 October 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  19. ↑ "Vostok 2010" showcases Russian military 7 July 2010 www.rbth.com, accessed 27 February 2023
  20. ↑ "Russian Naval Detachment Calls at Havana Harbor". Agencia Cubana de Noticias. 29 July 2012. Archived from the original on 23 November 2015.
  21. ↑ Heritage, Timothy (29 August 2013). "Russia sends warships to Mediterranean as Syria tension rises". Reuters. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  22. ↑ Osborn, Andrew (8 March 2014). "Ukraine facing loss of its navy as Russian forces in Crimea dig in". Reuters. Archived from the original on 19 December 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  23. ↑ "Russian Navy's Vessels Sail to Luanda, Angola". Naval Today. 10 July 2015. Archived from the original on 11 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  24. ↑ "Российские корабли приготовились прикрывать с воздуха авиабазу под Латакией" [Russian ships prepare to cover the airbase near Latakia from the air] (in Russian). Interfax. 2 October 2015. Archived from the original on 3 October 2015. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  25. ↑ Karnozov, Vladimir; Pocock, Chris (26 November 2015). "Turkey Takes Action Against Russia's Syrian Air War". Aviation International News. Archived from the original on 26 November 2015. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  26. ↑ Writers, Network (24 November 2015). "Putin's furious act of retaliation". News.com.au. Archived from the original on 24 November 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  27. ↑ Isachenkov, Vladimir (21 January 2016). "Russia displays naval might off Syria's Mediterranean coast". The Washington Post. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 21 January 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  28. ↑ "Министр обороны России генерал армии Сергей Шойгу вручил орден Нахимова гвардейскому ракетному крейсеру "Москва" Черноморского флота" [Russian Defence Minister General of the Army Sergei Shoigu presented the Order of Nakhimov to the Guards Missile Cruiser Moskva of the Black Sea Fleet] (in Russian). Russian Ministry of Defence. 22 July 2016. Archived from the original on 20 August 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  29. ↑ "ВМФ и руководство Черноморского флота решит, ремонтировать ли крейсер "Москва"" [The Navy and the leadership of the Black Sea Fleet will decide whether to repair the cruiser "Moskva"] (in Russian). Interfax. 3 July 2018. Archived from the original on 26 August 2018.
  30. ↑ "Ремонт вместо модернизации: крейсер "Москва" поставят на ход в Крыму :: Флот – 21 век" [Repair instead of modernization: the cruiser "Moskva" will be launched in the Crimea :: Fleet - 21st century]. blackseafleet-21.com. Archived from the original on 28 December 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  31. ↑ "Ракетный крейсер "Москва" вышел море впервые за три года" [Missile cruiser "Moskva" goes to sea for the first time in three years]. bmpd.livejournal.com (in Russian). 6 June 2019. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  32. ↑ "Christian relic, a True Cross piece, to be kept at Russia's Black Sea fleet flagship". TASS - Russian News Agency. 26 February 2020. Archived from the original on 15 April 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  33. ↑ Roth, Andrew (15 April 2022). "Loss of Moskva strikes serious blow to Russian military's prestige". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 15 April 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  34. ↑ "Shipbuilders complete dock repairs of Russian Black Sea Fleet flagship". TASS. 2 July 2020. Archived from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  35. ↑ "Russian Black Sea Fleet flagship to remain in service until 2040 — source". TASS. 5 July 2020. Archived from the original on 6 July 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  36. ↑ greenchelman. "The cruiser "Moscow" will be sent to the coast of Syria". Репортёр [Reporter]. Archived from the original on 1 December 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  37. ↑ "Экипаж гвардейского ракетного крейсера "Москва" Черноморского флота сдал первую курсовую задачу" [The crew of the guards missile cruiser "Moskva" of the Black Sea Fleet has passed the first course task] (in Russian). Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. 3 February 2021. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021.
  38. ↑ "The flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, the missile cruiser "Moskva", went to sea to practice the second course task". Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation. 12 March 2021. Archived from the original on 11 July 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  39. ↑ "Russian cruiser Moskva successfully fired Vulkan missile for first time". Navy Recognition. May 2021. Archived from the original on 4 May 2022.
  40. ↑ Ljunggren, David (13 April 2022). "Russia says ammunition blast damages flagship of Black Sea fleet – Interfax". Reuters. Archived from the original on 14 April 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  41. ↑ Cruiser Moskva retains buoyancy, explosions of ammunition stopped – Defense Ministry Archived 14 April 2022 at the Wayback Machine 14 April 2022, TASS. Retrieved 14 April 2022
  42. ↑ Hill, Jenny (15 April 2022). "Russian warship: Moskva sinks in Black Sea". BBC News. Archived from the original on 15 April 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  43. ↑ Axe, David (20 January 2022). "The Russian Cruiser 'Moskva' Dominates The Black Sea". Forbes.
  44. ↑ "H I Sutton – Covert Shores". Archived from the original on 16 February 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  45. ↑ "Zmiinyi Island In Black Sea Attacked From Russian Ships – Border Service". ukranews_com. 24 February 2022. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  46. ↑ "Ukrainian Navy confirms Snake Island soldiers are alive, POWs". The Jerusalem Post. 28 February 2022. Archived from the original on 28 February 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  47. ↑ Sutton, H. I. (7 April 2022). "Russia's Most Powerful Warship In The Black Sea Is Operating In A Pattern". Naval News. Archived from the original on 16 April 2022.
  48. ↑ "Russian warship Moskva on fire but afloat, Pentagon says". The Guardian. 14 April 2022.
  49. ↑ Sutton, H. I. (15 April 2022). "Satellite Image Pinpoints Russian Cruiser Moskva As She Burned". Naval News. Archived from the original on 16 April 2022.
  50. ↑ Oliphant, Roland (14 April 2022). "Ukraine's unofficial motto, 'Russian warship, go f--- yourself', finally comes to pass". The Telegraph. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  51. ↑ Lubold, Gordon (15 April 2022). "Russian Navy Ship Moskva Sunk by Ukrainian Missiles, U.S. Confirms". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 15 April 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  52. ↑ Sauer, Pjotr; Borger, Julian (14 April 2022). "Russia says Moskva cruiser has sunk after reported Ukrainian missile strike". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 14 April 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  53. ↑ "Russian warship Moskva has sunk – defence ministry". BBC News. 15 April 2022. Archived from the original on 15 April 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2022. The 12,490-tonne vessel is the biggest Russian warship to be sunk in action since World War Two.
  54. ↑ Lendon, Brad (15 April 2022). "Analysis: What really happened to the pride of Russia's fleet?". CNN. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  55. ↑ "Russia says one sailor died, 27 missing after missile cruiser sank". Al Arabiya. 22 April 2022. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  56. ↑ Агентство. Новости (3 November 2022). "Суд в Севастополе признал погибшими пропавших моряков с крейсера «Москва»" [The court in Sevastopol declared the missing sailors from the cruiser "Moskva" dead] (in Russian). Retrieved 15 August 2023 – via Telegram.
  57. ↑ Sauer, Pjotr (8 November 2022). "Russia calls up missing cook who was onboard warship sunk in April". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  58. ↑ "Moskva wreckage declared item of Ukrainian underwater cultural heritage". BBC News. 22 April 2022.
  59. ↑ Halpert, Madeline (22 April 2022). "Ukraine Names Sunken Russian Warship Moskva A National Heritage Site". Forbes. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
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