Three years after Russian Moskva cruiser's sinking: new findings. Sergiy Zgurets’ column

Russian terror — missile strikes

Now Russia is waging war against Ukraine on two levels — pressure at the front and terror. On the contact line, there is an intensification of hostilities, constant pressure to push through Ukraine's defense, given the Russian superiority in manpower. However, since the beginning of 2025, the total losses of the aggressor's army in personnel have exceeded 140,000 people. These are significant losses even for the Russian "unlimited" force, but the front is holding and not bending much.

The aggressor is now employing even more terrorist-like tactics, hoping for greater effectiveness. Ballistic missile strikes are being launched against cities lacking Patriot defense systems, with the intention of causing significant civilian casualties. Attacks on cities like Kryvyi Rih and Sumy are aimed at intimidating the population, weakening their resilience, and undermining their readiness to resist, all behind the front lines held by Ukrainian forces.

And this is certainly not a mistake, as Trump said about the strike on Sumy. Two missiles killed 35 people and injured more than 117 civilians. This is not a mistake — this is Russia's deliberate strategy! These are systematic acts of terror using the most destructive and horrific weapons systems against civilians! This is an attempt to force Ukraine to surrender beyond the reality on the front line. And so the question now is how to maintain and preserve this resilience despite all the external and internal challenges.

Frontline update

On April 13, 158 combat clashes occurred along the front line, a notably high number. Nearly a third of these engagements took place in the Pokrovsk sector. Additionally, there was a significant concentration of attacks in two other active areas: the Lyman and Toretsk directions, where Russian forces launched more than 40 strikes combined. These two flanks are key to Russia’s efforts to advance toward Sloviansk and Kramatorsk in the future. While we are well aware of these plans — having discussed them numerous times — we also recognize that plans and reality often diverge significantly.

Kramatorsk direction

The defense of Chasiv Yar serves as a key example — it is the highest point for hundreds of kilometers in the Sloviansk and Kramatorsk area. In the winter, Russia assembled a powerful force and began advancing toward Chasiv Yar from the neighboring town of Bakhmut. The battle for Chasiv Yar began almost exactly one year ago between Ukrainian and Russian forces. Today, it is primarily Russian airborne units operating there, while Ukraine is defended by several brigades with extensive experience in withstanding Russian pressure.

Fighting in Chasiv Yar continues, both on the flanks and within the city itself. Russian troops have reached the northern neighborhoods. The city is largely destroyed, but each ruined building provides opportunities for defense, with both Ukrainian and Russian forces taking advantage of the basements to maintain their positions.

Intense fighting continues in many areas of Chasiv Yar, with the Ukrainian Defense Forces currently holding at least two-thirds of the city. This area is critical for future military operations. Despite Russia's prolonged efforts to advance towards Chasiv Yar, they have had limited success. However, there are regions that the Russians have captured at a high cost, suffering significant casualties. On Ukraine’s side, the experienced 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade, named after King Danylo, is holding defense in one of these areas.

Oleh Petrasiuk, a spokesperson for the 24th Brigade, stated that the dynamics of the fighting in Chasiv Yar have remained unchanged since October. Russian forces continue to launch active assault operations, often deploying equipment that is quickly destroyed upon arrival. Urban combat remains dynamic, with the Russians persistently attempting to use their equipment. Just a few days ago, neighboring brigades reported that Russian forces also tried to deploy equipment on the flanks.

Petrasiuk emphasized that the brigade is up against a well-equipped and battle-hardened adversary — the 98th Airborne Division of the Russian Federation. The occupying forces are armed with a full range of BMD vehicles, including BMD-1, BMD-2, BMD-3, and BMD-4, which are the primary equipment used for their mechanized assaults. Additionally, Russian troops deploy BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles and tanks.

The spokesperson for the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade noted that, if refraining from specifics, the situation in the city looks nothing short of apocalyptic, as the fighting is ongoing, with each shelter, building, and position fiercely contested. Russian troops are attempting to storm every inch of the city, and where direct assaults are not possible, they resort to destroying these positions. They often use guided missile launchers and artillery to level large sections of the city.

Cruiser Moskva's sinking three years ago

Next, we’ll discuss Ukraine’s weapons, the skillful planning of operations, and strikes that shocked the world. On April 13, three years ago, the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the cruiser Moskva, was struck in the Black Sea by missiles from Ukraine’s Neptune anti-ship system. The attack caused ammunition to detonate aboard the cruiser, leading to a fire and ultimately sinking the Moskva. Ukraine became the first country in the world to destroy a missile cruiser — the flagship of the Russian fleet — during wartime.

U.S. officials were furious when Ukraine successfully struck the Russian cruiser, as revealed by a recent New York Times investigation. The investigation examined the role of the U.S. in Ukrainian operations against Russia. It highlighted that U.S. officials were taken aback by the attack, notably because Ukraine had not informed them about the impending strike. Additionally, they were surprised to learn that Ukrainian anti-ship missiles had the capability to destroy such massive Russian warships.

This historic event still holds many intriguing details that our journalists and writers are actively uncovering. Recently, a book titled The Hunt for the Moskva Cruiser was published by ADEF Publishing House. Let's bring in Andrii Bulavin, one of the authors of this book, to discuss the specifics of this operation.

It is known that before the cruiser was destroyed on April 13, there was an initial preparatory attack on April 4. However, according to the Ukrainian military, the cruiser was within the protection zone of towers in the Black Sea, which impacted the operation's progress. On April 13, Ukraine was able to align all the critical factors — timing, location, and precise knowledge of the flagship's position in the Russian Black Sea Fleet — to successfully carry out the strike.

Andrii Bulavin mentioned that he and his co-author, Oleksandr Chudnovets, wrote the book based entirely on open sources. As a result, while communicating with the military, certain details were suggested to remain confidential. Therefore, some aspects of the tactics used to destroy the cruiser before the end of the war are likely to remain state secrets. Among the materials in the book, some information was published by Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence, including details from an officer who was aboard the cruiser and transmitted relevant intelligence. Additionally, in April, due to specific weather conditions with heavy cloud cover, Ukrainian radars were able to detect the cruiser, as the signal was reflected off the clouds and waves. Regarding American involvement in the operation, it is not officially confirmed, but the commander of Ukraine's Navy at the time, Oleksiy Neizhpapa, reported a telephone conversation with the commander of the U.S. 6th Fleet, stationed in the Mediterranean. His American counterpart reportedly said: “Oleksiy, it's burning beautifully!” This exchange is also documented in open sources.

Bulavin, co-author of The Hunt for the Moskva Cruiser, noted that Ukraine was fortunate because only two Neptune missiles were needed to sink the Russian flagship. Although the Neptune missile has a relatively small warhead, about 150 kg, it has excellent characteristics in terms of flying just above the wave crest, between 3 and 10 meters according to official tactical data. Upon investigation, it was revealed that nearly all of the firing radars on the cruiser were stowed, suggesting that either the Russians were not expecting an attack or were dismissive of the Ukrainian military's capabilities. This was April 2022, and Russia was still trying to control the Ukrainian Black Sea coast.

Bulavin added that, according to open sources, the crew of the Moskva cruiser consisted of approximately 496 to 512 people. Additionally, the cruiser may have had a marching headquarters with 30-40 soldiers, and some sources suggest there could have been a company of guards on board. Many of the crew members were young conscripts, rather than contract soldiers, meaning their training was subpar. This factor likely influenced the outcome of the operation. Regarding the number of casualties, a monument to the destroyed Moskva cruiser was recently unveiled at the 30th Surface Ship Brigade in Sevastopol, listing 21 names on a granite slab. Just a few days ago, the father of one of the soldiers revealed that 28 names have now been confirmed. It should be noted that the Russians have been quite effective at concealing their losses, and it's estimated that up to 25-30% of the total fatalities remain unreported.

Andrii also noted that the Basalt and Vulcan missiles the cruiser could have carried were capable of carrying nuclear warheads, with a yield of approximately 350 kilotons. According to unverified open-source information, there might have been two such warheads aboard, although this cannot be confirmed or denied at this time. After the cruiser sank, the Russians likely focused on searching for ciphers and equipment, but there is also the possibility that they were looking for the warheads.