‘Go f*** yourself’ Russian warship Moskva blown up in Ukrainian missile strike

14 April 2022, 08:47 | Updated: 14 April 2022, 09:23

Ukrainian authorities today claimed to have destroyed the Russian naval vessel Moskva with two missiles.

Kyiv's military said Russia's Moskva was hit by two "Neptune" missiles yesterday evening, without providing evidence.

Odesa governor Maksim Marchenko wrote on Telegram: "It has been confirmed that the missile cruiser Moscow today went exactly where it was sent by our border guards on Snake Island! Neptune missiles guarding the Black Sea caused very serious damage to the Russian ship. Glory to Ukraine!"

Marchenko was referring to an incident on Snake Island where Ukrainian defenders were hailed heroes in late February for telling the Moskva to "go f**k yourself" when it demanded they surrender.

It was not immediately clear whether ship, a Soviet-era Slava class guided missile cruiser and the flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet, had sunk but a Telegram channel with Russian military links said it had rolled over and gone down.

The channel claimed the Moskva was hit twice on the port side after Ukrainian drones managed to "distract" the warship's early warning systems.

However, Moscow told Tass News Agency the warship was "badly damaged" when ammunition exploded after a fire broke out onboard.

The vessel's crew of 510 were evacuated safely, the statement added, without giving details on what caused the blaze but adding the incident is being "investigated".

The Moskva becomes the second major Russian ship damaging since Moscow invaded Ukraine on February 24 after Kyiv's forces destroyed the Orsk, a landing support ship held in the Sea of Azov.

Twitter footage purports to show Ukrainian soldiers on Snake Island moments before Russian forces attack

The besieged southern port city Mariupol was on the verge of surrender last night after 1,062 Ukrainian soldiers, including 162 officers, holed up in the Azovstal steelworks appeared to surrender to Vladimir Putin's forces.

Moscow claimed soldiers from the the 36th Marine Brigade had voluntarily laid down their arms and said their forces had taken control of Mariupol's port. Kyiv has denied the claims.

Ukraine's President Vlodymyr Zelenskyy lat night said: "Russian forces are increasing their activities on the southern and eastern fronts, attempting to avenge their defeats."

Russian forces on Tuesday secured the city's theatre, which was bombed by Moscow's men as more than 400 children and their families sheltered inside on March 16.

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Mariupol has been under near-constant assault from Russian troops since the war started nearly seven weeks ago.

It became a symbolic image of Russian aggression after a maternity unit in the city was hit in a "direct strike" in March, despite being clearly marked as an operational hospital. At least five people, including a pregnant woman and her unborn child, died in the attack.

An Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) report published yesterday said those responsible for a missile attack on Mariupol's maternity hospital had "committed a war crime".

The report also accused Putin of "clear patterns or international humanitarian law violations" and said civilian casualties could have been avoided if Russia respected international obligations.

It found targeted killings, forced disappearances and abductions of civilians, journalists and officials were carried out "routinely" and said those responsible for a missile attack on Mariupol's maternity hospital had "committed a war crime".

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Moscow was said to have deployed mobile crematoriums in the city in an attempt to hide the scale of Russia's attacks.

Ukrainian officials said up to 10,000 people had been killed in the city.

The city's Mayor said Mariupol can no longer be compared to the tragedies in Chechnya or Aleppo, instead saying "this is the new Auschwitz and Majdanek".

Earlier this week the UK's Ministry of Defence warned that Putin may have resorted to using "phosphorous bombs" on targets in Mariupol as Moscow's forces try to take the city.

"Russian forces prior use of phosphorous munitions in the Donetsk Oblast raises the possibility of their future employment in Mariupol as fighting for the city intensifies," said the MoD.

White phosphorus is used for illumination at night or to create a smokescreen, but when it is deployed as a weapon it causes horrific burns.

President Zelenskyy has previously accused Russia of using the chemical.

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