Ukraine has claimed the captain of a Russian warship that was sunk in the Black Sea has been killed on board.
Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s ministry of internal affairs, shared the claim on Telegram saying that the ship’s captain, Anton Kuprin, had died during an “explosion and fire on board”.
The Moskva went down as it was being towed to port in rough seas after an explosion of ammo caused a fire, according to the Kremlin.
Ukraine said it had hit the ship with missiles fired from the coast, but Russia did not confirm the attack.
However, the US later said it believes the vessel was hit by two Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missiles.
A senior US official said the country believes there were Russian casualties, though the number of them remains unclear.
The crew of more than 500 were evacuated, said Russia’s defence ministry.
Explosions were heard in Kyiv and other cities after the ship sank. Early on Friday, Russia claimed to have hit a factory in the capital that makes and repairs anti-ship missiles.
Image:
The Moskva in Sevastopol, in occupied Crimea, on 7 April. Pic: Maxar Technologies via AP
Live updates – Russia ‘digging up graves in Mariupol’
Russia’s defence ministry said it would increase attacks on Kyiv in response to supposed Ukrainian military “diversions” on its territory.
It has accused Ukraine of wounding seven people and damaging about 100 residential buildings in air strikes on Bryansk, a region bordering Ukraine.
Another Russian border region also reported shelling on Thursday.
Ukrainian officials have not confirmed striking targets in Russia, and the reports by Russian authorities could not be independently verified.
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Russia ‘shaping operations’ ahead of Donbas push
Air raid sirens were going off over much of Ukraine overnight into Friday.
As well as Kyiv, blasts were heard in the southern city of Kherson, the eastern city of Kharkiv and in the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk.
The Ukrainian capital has gradually displayed some signs of pre-war life after Russian troops failed to capture the city and retreated to focus on a concentrated assault in eastern Ukraine.
Evacuation efforts have continued across the country and on Friday, a total of 2,864 were able to leave conflict zones, including 363 people from the besieged port city of Mariupol, Ukraine claimed.
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1:25
Drive through war-torn Mariupol
However, in Kharkiv, seven people were killed and 34 more were wounded during a shelling attack on a residential area, the region’s governor said.
In the southern city of Kakhovka, two civilians died of shrapnel wounds after a rocket was shot down and five were injured, the area’s local authority claimed.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin is continuing to marshal its forces for a renewed offensive in eastern Ukraine.
Extra equipment has arrived to the north of the Donbas region and in western Russia, according to a senior US defence official.
Speaking on Thursday, the official said Russia was “shaping operations” but that the fresh offensive had not yet begun.
Further south, the besieged city of Mariupol remains contested between defenders and Russian forces.
Russia’s naval forces have also moved further south following the sinking of the Moskva, the US official added.
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A torn flag in front a wrecked apartment block in Mariupol
Moskva sank in ‘stormy seas’
The sinking of Russia’s largest ship in the war is a significant loss, but the Kremlin has not acknowledged any Ukrainian attack.
“During the towing of the cruiser Moskva to the port of destination, the ship lost stability due to the damage to the hull received during the fire from the detonation of ammunition,” the Russian defence ministry said.
“In the stormy sea conditions, the ship has sunk.”
Ukrainian media said two Neptune missiles targeted the ship, but the claims have not been independently verified.
A Ukrainian source had earlier told Sky News: “She is on fire. The level of damage is being clarified… She is about 25 nautical miles from Snake Island.”
Maksim Marchenko, the governor of Odesa, said on Telegram: “It has been confirmed that the missile cruiser Moskva today went exactly where it was sent by our border guards on Snake Island!
“Neptune missiles guarding the Black Sea caused very serious damage to the Russian ship. Glory to Ukraine!”
Read more: Why the sinking of Russia’s warship is an embarrassment for Putin
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3:18
What does the Moskva sinking mean for Russia?
Sinking a ‘symbolic’ event
Ukraine’s version of events – that the fire was caused by a missile strike – was “more likely”, Air Marshal Phil Osborn, former chief of UK defence intelligence, told Sky News.
He said the development WAS “quite symbolic on both sides” and that the Moskva was “quite a significant vessel as far as Russia is concerned”.
The impact is “less the loss of the ship and more a demonstration of Ukrainian capability”, he added.
The Moskva, which dates from the Soviet era, was commissioned 40 years ago but had been refitted, he said.
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It had guided missiles to attack the shore and enemy aircraft, as well as radar to proe air defence cover for the fleet.
The ship was involved in a much-reported incident – the day after Russia’s invasion began – when it was one of two vessels approaching Snake Island in the Black Sea.
The Russians ordered 13 Ukrainian soldiers defending the island to surrender, prompting one to tell the Moskva and its crew to “go f*** yourself”.
