20 Russian warships in Black Sea still pose a threat to Ukraine – UK MoD
They ministry noted that despite the losses of the landing ship Saratov and the cruiser Moskva, the Russian Black Sea Fleet retains the ability to strike coastal and land targets in Ukraine.
Read also: Century-old Russian rescue ship ‘trying to salvage missiles’ from sunken Moskva – Bild
At the same time, the agency noted that Russia cannot replace the destroyed cruiser.
"The Bosporus Strait remains closed to all non-Turkish warships, rendering Russia unable to replace its lost cruiser Moskva in the Black Sea," the UK Defense Ministry said.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine on April 13 fired anti-ship missiles at the missile cruiser Moskva, the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, severely damaging the vessel. The following day, the Russian Ministry of Defense admitted that the cruiser had sunk.
Read also: Russia failed to evacuate flagship Moskva crew due to storm, Ukraine’s border guards say
Later, on April 16, the Russian Defense Ministry published a video of a meeting between the commander-in-chief of the Navy and "cruiser sailors" who were allegedly evacuated. Part of the video had no sound. The Insider counted about 100 sailors in the video, while the crew consists of 410 to 680 people. It is unknown how many people were on board Moskva during the strike. The Russians are currently conducting search operations at the site of the sinking of their flagship.
Read also: Heavy fighting in Donbas along most of the line of contact as Russians attempt to take ground
Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24th. April 28 is the 64th day of a full-scale war against Russia. The invading forces tried to advance from the north, east, and south, shelling peaceful cities throughout Ukraine from artillery and from the air.
From the first days of the war, the most difficult situation was seen in Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, and Mariupol. For more than a month, Russia shelled Kyiv and the outskirts of the capital, completely destroying a number of settlements.
At the moment, the invaders are trying to capture the parts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts that have remained under Ukrainian governmental since the start of the war in 2014. The invaders are shelling the cities of the regions, and the local authorities are urging residents to evacuate. Parts of Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Kharkiv Oblasts have also been occupied by invading Russian forces.
On April 18, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a new address that the Russian invaders had begun the battle for Donbas, and had concentrated a significant part of their army for an offensive in eastern Ukraine.
On April 22, Russia announced that during the “second phase” of its war against Ukraine, it plans to completely occupy the Donbas and southern Ukraine, as well as provide a land corridor to Crimea.
Read also: Experts assess the future of Russia’s push towards the Donbas
