Sinking Of Russia's Black Sea Fleet Flagship Spurs Attacks On Kyiv

Powerful explosions were heard in Kyiv early on Friday and air raid sirens blared across Ukraine as residents braced for new Russian attacks after Moscow's lead warship in the Black Sea sank following a fire likely caused by Ukrainian missiles, Pavel Polityuk and Oleksandr Kozkukharm reported for Reuters.

Photo Insert: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy alluded to the sunken warship in an early morning video address in which he warned of Russian intentions to target the eastern Donbas region.

Lauren McCarthy of the New York Times also reported that Ukraine claimed to have hit the missile cruiser Moskva with its Neptune cruise missiles amid stormy weather, causing a massive fire and secondary explosions in the ship’s ammunition magazine.

“Russia said it had been damaged by a fire and that it later sank while being towed in a storm. Analysts said the loss of the ship would not alter the course of the war, but a confirmed missile attack would be a sign of Ukraine’s military capability and could serve as a deterrent to Russian naval attacks,” McCarthy stressed.

The ship's loss comes as Russia's navy continues its bombardment of Ukrainian cities on the Black Sea nearly 50 days after it launched the invasion. Residents of Odesa and Mariupol, on the adjacent Azov Sea, have been bracing for new Russian attacks.

Ukraine’s armed forces said Russia lost 19,800 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, along with 739 tanks, 1,964 armored combat vehicles, 358 pieces of artillery, 115 rocket launcher systems, 64 air defense systems, 158 aircraft, 143 helicopters, 1,429 vehicles, 76 fuel tanks, and seven ships.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy alluded to the sunken warship in an early morning video address in which he warned of Russian intentions to target the eastern Donbas region, including Mariupol.

Zelenskiy paid homage to all "those who halted the progress of the endless convoys of Russian military equipment ... Those who showed that Russian ships can go ... down to the bottom."

There were no immediate reports of damage following the explosions reported in Kyiv, Kherson in the south, the eastern city of Kharkiv, and the town of Ivano-Frankivsk in the west. Ukrainian media reported electricity outages in parts of Kyiv.

WEEKLY FEATURE : MVP Group Keeps Lights On During Pandemic