Doctor of Military Sciences Konstantin Sivkov commented on the consequences of the incident with the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the guards missile cruiser Moskva. Last night, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that the cruiser sank in the Black Sea due to damage received during a fire and an explosion of ammunition. According to the expert, the loss of the cruiser will affect the defense capability, since right now it cannot be replaced.
“The loss is very tangible, I want to say right away without equivocation. In fact, our fleet has lost a third of its potential in the far sea zone,” leads NSN words of a retired captain of the first rank.
He noted that the cruiser “Moskva” had powerful weapons that met modern requirements, had the world’s first multi-channel air defense system “Fort”, and the combat range was regarding a thousand kilometers.
“And, of course, this is a serious loss for our fleet, a serious one. The reasons must be dealt with, the perpetrators must be punished, this is unequivocal,” the expert emphasized.
He also explained that right now Russia does not have the opportunity to replace this cruiser, since Turkey has blocked the Bosporus and Dardanelles. In addition, Sivkov drew attention to the fact that such ships are also needed in the Barents Sea, since the entire 62nd US Fleet is located there.
“The picture is the same in the Pacific Ocean. We can’t take them from there,” Sivkov concluded.
