In mid-April, the Ukrainian army destroyed the cruiser “Moskva.” As American experts stated at the time – this was a huge blow to the capabilities and morale of the Russian army. Russian propaganda maintains that the ship sank in a storm and that people who tell the truth are under surveillance by the FSB.
According to Ukrainian data, there were more than 500 sailors on the cruiser at the time of the attack. According to intelligence information, 27 of them (including 19 conscripts) are missing according to the Kremlin’s official register – their deaths are not pronounced. Families of the fallen are forced to hide information about relatives who died in the attack on the “Moskva”, because according to propaganda – the ship sank in a storm.
“Relatives of the dead sailors are denied admission to the headquarters of the Russian Navy and the Black Sea Fleet.”
They are also not accepted by state institutions responsible for social support.
“They are referred to a group of psychologists, doctors and lawyers who have been specially created to conceal information about dead and missing conscripted occupants,” Ukrainian intelligence suggests.
A visit by the FSB
The truth about the cruiser’s case is considered a “state secret” by the Kremlin. This entails surveillance of those who know the details of the sinking.
“Learning of relatives’ desire to publish information about the victims in the media, FSB officers come to their homes and workplaces and conduct ‘explanatory work’ with threats of criminal liability for disclosing state secrets,” the service reports.
The Russian flagship cruiser “Moskva” sank on 14 April. As the Ukrainian Operational Command South relayed at the time – “in the Black Sea operational area, the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the Moskva cruiser, was hit by a Neptune anti-ship missile and seriously damaged. A fire broke out. Other ships wanted to assist, but a storm and a powerful explosion of munitions overturned the ship and it began to sink.”