kraine has designated the underwater wreckage of the Russian Moskva warship a Ukrainian cultural heritage site, according to its ministry of defense, a week after the heavily armed flagship was sunk by two Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missiles in the Black Sea, after which Ukraine’s defense minister jokingly called it “one more diving spot.”
The Russian fleet became number 2,064 in Ukraine’s underwater cultural heritage register, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday, adding that the “famous cruiser” 80 miles from Odessa, Ukraine can now be “admired.”
The move comes a week after U.S. intelligence confirmed Ukraine sunk Russia’s fleet flagship in its biggest wartime loss of a naval ship in decades, which likely led to casualties, according to the Pentagon.
“A ‘flagship’ russian warship is a worthy diving site. We have one more diving spot in the Black Sea now. Will definitely visit the wreck after our victory in the war. BTW, I already have 300 scuba dives,” Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov joked in a tweet last week after Ukraine sank the ship.
Russia initially denied reports that Ukraine had sank its warship, claiming at first that it was damaged due to a fire that caused an explosion, and later, that it sank due to “stormy sea” conditions, though reports showed mild weather in the Black Sea. A U.S. defense official said the blow to the warship, which had 16 launchers for anti-ship missiles and 64 air-defense missiles, represented a significant setback for Russia. Ukraine’s government made fun of the Russian loss on Twitter, writing “Russian warship, what are you sinking?” The government has used its social media accounts on several occasions to make fun of the Kremlin since the war began, including through memes. The sinking of the Russian warship came as Russia shifted the focus of its invasion to the eastern region of Ukraine, saying this week that it wants to establish “full control” over the Donbas region and southern Ukraine as part of the second phase of its military operation.