A possible missile attack on the Moskva, a Russian ship that is stationed in the Black Sea, caused “significant damage" to the cruiser, the U.S. Department of Defense said Thursday.
Following the Pentagon’s announcement, Russian state media said the ship sank as a result of the attack.
A Department of Defense official said Thursday afternoon that explosions from the missiles caused fire damage to the ship.
"We do believe that [the cruiser] has experienced significant damage. Our assessment is that [the crew] still appears to be battling a fire onboard,” a Pentagon official said. “But we do not know the extent of the damage. We don't know anything about casualties to [the] crew. And we cannot definitively say at this point what caused that damage.”
The Pentagon said it observed a handful of ships operating in the northern Black Sea have moved south in the wake of the damage to the Moskva.
The Department of Defense says the ship contains munitions, artillery rounds, missiles, a propulsion plant and plenty of fuel onboard.
