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Many military experts are inclined to the opinion that the true cause is most probably the missile strike of April 13, 2022 by the Neptun missile system of the Ukrainian Navy. Thus, the Moskva is the largest warship ever taken out by a missile.

Despite the successful actions of the Ukrainian troops, who claimed media superiority over the Russian warship, the main contribution to the shipwreck was made by Russia itself.

According to a military expert, the cruiser Moskva had significant problems even before the start of the special operation in Ukraine. First of all, despite the technological superiority of the Russian Navy due to having good air defense systems, anti-ship missiles, torpedoes and radar systems the training of the crew left much to be desired. The Fort (S-300) air defense systems installed on the cruiser allow for effective elimination of air targets. However, this requires a high level of skill of the ship’s personnel. The Russian command’s statements about the proper level of training of its crews turned out to be a lie, as the disaster on the cruiser Moskva demonstrated.

If you pay attention to photos of the sinking ship, you can see that it was struck by two missiles.

The first hit the dining room area, causing considerable damage to the ship’s manpower and provoking a fire in the engine room. The second hit the helicopter hangar, but did not explode, as can be seen in the photo.

It is also obvious that the Fort and Osa surface-to-air missile systems are in a marching position, indicating that the ship is not operational.

And even taking into account the above circumstances, judging by the photo, the ship has not lost its “survivability”, it is not critical, the main combat elements are intact.

Reasons for urgent evacuation of the crew probably just did not exist. However, we can see that all the lifeboats are launched.

It is also obvious that no rescue measures were applied to the flagship, because even the portholes were left open, which is a gross violation and probably one of the reasons for the final sinking of the ship. Especially if one considers the information about the storm that occurred to be credible.

It should also be remembered that the cruiser Moskva was commissioned in 1982. Despite the fact that its overhaul was carried out from 2017 to 2019. This raises questions about the quality of the modernization of the cruiser.

Its main problem is the lack of capabilities to hit low-flying targets.

It could have been solved by installing the prospective Tor-MF SAM on board. However, due to different circumstances this was not done. First of all, because the development of SAM was not completed. Hence there is a question as to whether the deployment of the cruiser in the field of low-flying anti-ship missiles deployed by the Ukrainian Navy or supplied by the Western countries was worthwhile.

According to Maxim Klimov, a military analyst, the cruiser was hit by Kh-59M missiles of the Ukrainian air force fired from an Su-24M bomber.

• At the same time, it is excluded that it was hit by the missiles from the territory of the neighboring Romania.

It is obvious that despite the recent decisions on the new NATO expansion towards Russia (at the expense of formerly neutral Finland and Sweden) the West does not intend to openly participate in the conflict with Russia and is fighting “to the last Ukrainian”. This is evidenced by the expansion of military aid in the form of finance and weapons. The arrival of mercenaries also cannot be regarded as an act of direct NATO participation in the war.

It is also worth mentioning that Moskva’s participation in the operation was approved by the leadership of the Russian Navy. The commander of the Black Sea Fleet personally inspected the ship and was satisfied with the work of the air defense systems. However, in a real combat situation, a disaster occurred, which the Russian warship was unable to prevent.

Also the decisions made by the command of the Russian Navy regarding the deployment of ships in the Mediterranean region remain unclear. Unique in their equipment the ships such as Admiral Kasatonov occupy now vulnerable positions in terms of their participation in the possible conflict with NATO. The fleets of these countries can obviously suppress it with their own forces in the Mediterranean Sea, since the countries belonging to the alliance are in the majority in the region. Furthermore, given the beginning of deteriorating relations in Scandinavia, the absence of a ship in at least its home port looks very strange.

Thus, the beginning of the end of Moskva cruiser was set long before the missile attack. This once again shows the problems in the Russian Armed Forces, about which it is customary to remain silent lately. The consequences of possible corrupt practices also contribute to a negative development for Russia in Ukraine, where a short and successful operation would have been possible with the proper attitude.

Source: SOUTHFRONT