WARSHIP RIDDLE
Mystery as ‘dead’ captain of sunk Russian flagship Moskva filmed at ‘survivors’ parade as hundreds of sailors missing
MYSTERY has surrounded the sunk Russian warship Moskva as Kremlin has released a video appearing to show survivors including the captain who was reported dead after the hit.
Two days after the attack Russia claimed that the head of the Russian navy had met the crew of the ship in Sevastopol but hundreds of sailors are still missing.
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Vladimir Putin's vessel sank on Thursday after a fire and an explosion and according to Ukraine, its entire crew of 510 sailors was on board.
The fate of the ship's crew remains a mystery with Kyiv claiming “all the crew of the cruiser Moskva died” while Russia suggested the crew was evacuated and taken to the port of Sevastopol.
Russian reports also said the warship had been under tow when it sank.
Earlier reports claimed a Turkish vessel rescued more than 50 sailors.
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And now Russia's Defence Ministry released a 26-second video showing the naval chief Admiral Nikolay Yevmenov, 60, addressing naval officers and seamen.
It was unclear when the meeting took place or who is in it.
One of the officers present resembled 1st rank Captain Anton Kuprin, commander of the Moskva, who the Ukrainians claimed had been killed in the sinking evidently caused by a Neptune missile strike.
There were reports of an eight-hour battle to save the ship from sinking.
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There were around 150 men visible on the Sevastopol parade ground, whereas the crew of the stricken warship had numbered 510.
It was not made clear why so many were missing.
The men were lined up in a way to give the impression of a large number present on the parade ground.
There were no references to any fatalities - yet at a vigil yesterday in the city, there were prayers for the lost sailors.
Nor were there references to any wounded from fire and giant explosion which sank the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
The admiral was shown on TV saying: “The crew of Moskva cruiser is at the main base, hero city of Sevastopol.”
“Officers, midshipmen, contract personnel will continue service in the Navy.”
Conscript sailors on the Moskva would be relieved of their duties in the near future, he said.
However, this admission flies in the face of an assurance by Vladimir Putin that no conscripts - usually aged 18 or 19 - were involved in the war.
“Compulsory [military] service personnel, in line with the law, will be released from May to July, and will leave to be put on military register,” said the admiral.
MISSING SAILORS
A TASS report of the meeting failed to mention that the Moskva had been sunk.
Another report initially suggested the "entire crew" of the ship was evacuated but the word "entire" was later removed.
Ukrainian spokesman Anton Gerashchenko asked where the missing men were.
And strangely state TV has not shown any footage of the crew arriving home.
Previously Gerashchenko, claimed that "the explosion was so strong that the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet sank in a matter of minutes".
He claimed to have heard this from sources in Sevastopol, the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
“Apparently, as a result of the fire, the warheads of the large P-1000 cruise missile - Vulkan - detonated. And there were 16 of them on board the cruiser.”
Yesterday a moving “mourning ceremony” was held for the Moskva and its sailors in Sevastopol, its homeport, as relatives of the crew defied the Russian orders.
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It was unofficial but there was no mention of the number who had died, yet it seemed clear from this sombre ceremony presided over by a priest that there had been a significant loss of life.
A wreath was placed by a Black Fleet statue which read: “To the ship and the sailors”.
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