For the first time, Russia appeared to acknowledge that a Ukrainian missile was responsible for sinking its flagship in the Black Sea, only to later delete the admission and revert to the official line that the guided-missile cruiser Moskva went down due to a freak accident.
The Moskva was among Russia’s most important warships when it sank in April 2022, just seven weeks after Moscow launched its unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Kyiv promptly claimed it had struck the vessel with its Neptune anti-ship cruise missile, while Russia maintained a different explanation.
The Russian Ministry of Defense consistently insisted that a fire onboard triggered munitions to explode, causing the ship to sink.
Moscow said the crew was evacuated, though it later acknowledged that some sailors were missing.
According to the independent Russian outlet Mediazona, a military court in Moscow inadvertently contradicted the Kremlin’s narrative last week.
The court reportedly issued a statement about the sentencing of a Ukrainian navy commander who ordered strikes against the Moskva and the frigate Admiral Essen. The statement indicated the commander was sentenced in absentia to life in prison.
The court’s statement was quickly removed from its website, but Mediazona had already downloaded it.
The loss of the Moskva was a major embarrassment for Russia, marking one of Ukraine’s most significant victories in the conflict.
CNN sought comment from Russian authorities regarding the apparent retraction.
Irina Zhirnova, spokesperson for the 2nd Western District Military Court, which would have issued the statement, declined to comment.
Mediazona reported that the statement read: “On April 13, 2022, a missile strike with two missiles hit the Guards missile cruiser Moskva, causing a fire and smoke filling the ship’s interior.
It added, “The explosion, fire, and smoke killed 20 of the cruiser’s crew, 24 suffered injuries of varying severity, and eight were missing, including during the over six-hour battle for the ship’s survival,” and emphasized that the ship was “not involved” in Russia’s operation in Ukraine.
Dmytro Pletenchuk, spokesperson for Ukraine’s Naval Forces, told CNN that it is difficult for Russia to deny the facts of the sinking, particularly as families of the Moskva crew have been speaking out.
Tightly controlled narrative
This backtracking is the latest in a series of propaganda missteps by Russian authorities.
Early in the invasion, RIA Novosti briefly published and then deleted, an editorial prematurely celebrating Russia’s victory.
Nearly four years later, Russian forces continue grinding along the front lines at high cost, while Ukraine has reclaimed significant territory.
The Russian military and Kremlin have tightly controlled the narrative surrounding the conflict, refusing to call it a “war” and instead labeling it a “special military operation.”
Journalists reporting the facts, including documenting massacres by Russian soldiers in Bucha and elsewhere—have faced jail time for spreading “false information” about the Russian army.
The Committee to Protect Journalists reported in December that at least 27 journalists had been imprisoned on criminal charges linked to their reporting since the full-scale invasion began.
Four have been released, two exiled, one killed, and the remainder remain in prison.
