Ukraine declares debris of Moskva cruiser their underwater heritage

Ukraine has declared the debris of the sunken Moskva cruiser ‘a site of underwater cultural heritage’, informs the country’s Defence Ministry.

The cruiser’s wreckage was assigned №2064 within the register of Ukrainian underwater cultural heritage. The cruiser sank 80 miles away from the coastal city of Odessa, according to the information the Defence Ministry received from the United Kingdom.

The Ukrainian authorities reported hitting the Russian cruiser with Neptun missiles on 13 April. They also claim that the cruiser participated in the attack on Snake Island. The Russian Defence Ministry confirmed the explosion, but reported that the cruiser was seriously damaged by ‘detonation of weapons’ that occurred due to a fire. The next day, the ministry announced that the cruiser sank in a storm while being towed away from the location.

The Russian Defence Ministry claims that the entire crew was evacuated, but there is evidence that 37 people died and about 100 were injured, according to Meduza’s source in the Black Sea Fleet command. Also, the media found out earlier that some members of the cruiser’s crew, including conscripts, were reported missing.