A Moscow ship passing through the Bosphorus in August 2021 / Archyde.com
The Russian government has admitted for the first time that there were no casualties in the bombing of the Black Sea Fleet flagship, the Moscow ship, which sank in waters near Odessa. However, since the exact cause of the accident and evidence were not provided, doubts are raised regarding the extent of the damage announced by the authorities.
In a statement distributed to state news agencies and others on the 23rd (local time), the Ministry of Defense of Russia said, “In the struggle for the survival of the Moscow ship, one soldier was killed and 27 people went missing. The remaining 396 people were evacuated.” The name consisted of only four sentences. The cause of the explosion that led to the sinking was not mentioned. He claimed to have rescued all crew members ten days ago, but there was no reason to change his mind.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said on the 13th, when the Moscow vessel exploded, that “the explosion occurred due to a fire and all the crew were rescued.” No videos or photos showing the condition of the Moscow vessel or the rescue operation of its soldiers have yet been released.
Since the Soviet era, when a large casualty accident occurred, Russia often denied the accident itself or reduced the damage rather than announcing the specific situation. He cited the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986, the Chechen Wars in 1994-1996, and the sinking of the nuclear submarine Kursk in 2000 as representative examples. The sinking of the Kursk took place during the first term of President Vladimir Putin.
Violent protests from the families of the victims seem to have influenced the Russian authorities’ recognition of the damage to this extent. A man who claimed that his son served as a cook on the Moscow warship said on Russian social media VK, “The ‘rescue’ is a blatant and selfish lie of the Russian military. He said, “What kind of disappearance is he in the vast sea?” An anonymous victim’s family said, “No one contacted me, so I contacted the military. It was only later that I was informed that my son was included in the missing person and that the chance of survival was slim.” The Associated Press reported that although it might not confirm the authenticity of all the claims made by the victim’s family, the Russian Ministry of Defense has not provided any specific rebuttal.
It is also possible that the amount of damage acknowledged by the Russian side this time has been reduced. A Bulgarian investigative expert quoted by the British daily The Independent said, “It is said that 27 people are missing at sea. “In fact, 28 people were killed (including 1 fatality), which is hard to believe considering the heavy damage to the Moscow ship (that number too),” he said.
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