Pentagon confirms Russia’s Black Sea fleet flagship struck by two Ukrainian missiles

Two Ukrainian Neptune missiles hit the Moskva – Russia’s flagship in the Black Sea – earlier this week, a U.S. senior defense official said Friday.

That’s according to CNN.

A more detailed assessment from an American official said that the strike and subsequent sinking of the ship was the result of a Ukrainian missile strike.

“CNN reported yesterday the U.S. believed with ‘medium confidence’ that Ukraine’s version of events regarding a missile strike on the warship – which Moscow has disputed – was accurate, according to a source familiar with the intelligence,” the report added.

Read also: Russian cruiser Moskva capsized and began to sink – Operational Command South

As Ukrinform reported earlier, on April 13, the Ukrainian forces attacked Russia’s Moskva cruiser, using the Neptune anti-ship missiles, inflicting serious damage to the Black Sea fleet flagship.

Ukraine Army’s Pivden (South) Operational Command reported on April 14 that other units of the naval group were trying to help the Moskva, but a sea storm and a powerful explosion of munitions onboard led to the warship capsizing and starting to sink.

In the evening of the same day, Russia officially confirmed that the cruiser sank while being “tugged” to a port.