The dead and the missing of Moskva: what Russia hides from the sinking

The Russian cruiser Moskva was hit by Ukrainian missiles when it was about 65 nautical miles from Odessa and was able to advance on its own for a few hours until it sank last Thursday. Pentagon sources assured that on board the ship were cruise missiles “which are now at the bottom of the Black Sea”.

The sinking of Mosvka, the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, is a serious setback for Russia. According to the version of the Russian Ministry of Defense, the ship went sinking on Thursday in the middle of a storm when it was towed into port, already without its crew, which had been evacuated on other ships of the Black Sea fleet.

Officially, the Russian Ministry of Defense has not recognized any deaths among the Moskva crew. However, independent media outlet Meduza spoke with a source close to the command of the Black Sea Fleet of Russia and was able to verify that at least 37 crew members died on board the Moskva.

The source told Meduza that the bodies of the dead were sent to Sevastopol in Crimea on April 15. The mother of a surviving sailor told the new European edition of Novaya Gazeta that “about 40″ died in the attack.

However, according to the source with whom Meduza spoke , another 100 sailors were injured and several people on board the ship are still missing, although it is not yet clear how many. It is estimated that there were more than 500 people on board.

The military reported that the warship was evacuated “in its entirety” without casualties. But during a farewell ceremony for the sunken ship, journalists from BBC Russia noticed that a commemorative tape shown during the event had the inscription: “To the ship and its sailors”.

The following day, the Russian Ministry of Defense published a video showing, it said, the meeting between the chief of the navy and sailors rescued from the cruise ship. In the recording, about 30 seconds, several dozen men are seen dressed in Navy uniforms, lined up in front of the chief of the Navy, Nikolai Yevmenov.

“The commander-in-chief of the Navy, Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, and the commander of the fleet on the Black Sea met with the crew of the Moskva cruiser in Sevastopol,” in Crimea, the ministry stated in a brief statement.

The admiral “informed the cruise ship's crew that officers, aspirants and sailors will continue to serve in the Navy,” the institution added.

These are the first images released of alleged Moskva crew members since the ship was wrecked on Thursday. The Insider reporters determined that approximately 100 sailors appear in the video.

In addition, the source of Meduza with links to the command of the Black Sea Fleet confirmed that the Moskva was attacked in a Ukrainian attack.

Independent media began to identify victims and missing persons, such as Petty Officer Ivan Vakhrushev, whose death was verified by his wife to Radio Liberty journalists. An investigation by Agentstvo also determined the death of first-class sailor Vitaly Begersky, after speaking with his cousin.

Yulia Tsyvova, from Crimea, told BBC Russia that her 19-year-old son Andrey served in Russia's Black Sea Fleet as a recruited sailor and is missing.

“On the social network Vkontakte, Agentstvo journalists also found a post from an account registered in the name of a woman named Ulyana Tarasova who claims that her son Mark disappeared on board the Moskva cruise ship,” Meduza says.

In the Russian region of Sverdlovsk, a mother named Anna Syromyasova wrote on social media that her son (another recruited sailor) also disappeared on board the Moskva. Syromyasova told Meduza that her son is currently considered missing, although she said that she was not shown the list and that she does not know how many others are still missing: “There are no lists. We're looking for them ourselves. They don't tell us anything.”

The first father of a sailor recruited to report the disappearance of a son aboard the Moskva was Dmitry Shkrebets, who lives in Yalta. On April 17, he posted a message on VKontakte: “The direct commanders of the Moskva cruiser have informed me that my son, a recruit, is not among the dead and wounded, but he is listed as missing. A recruit who was not supposed to participate in hostility is listed as missing. Friends, did you get lost on the high seas?!!! ”.

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