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Russia's Moskva warship was hit by two Ukrainian missiles before it sank in the Black Sea, a senior Pentagon official said on Friday, calling the loss a “big blow” for Moscow.
The senior official said Neptune anti-ship missiles struck the missile cruiser, which was anchored near the port city of Odesa.
The US believes there were Russian casualties, though numbers are unclear, the official added.
Russian news agencies cited the Defence Ministry on Thursday as saying that the Moskva — the flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet — sunk in stormy seas after what it said was a fire and explosions involving ammunition stowed onboard.
Ukraine said it launched a missile strike on the Moskva from the coast, which ripped open the Soviet-era ship.
- With agencies
