The Russian (click here) guided-missile cruiser Moskva rests deep beneath the Black Sea this morning.
Whether it lies there as the victim of Ukrainian missiles, Russian incompetence, bad luck or a combination of all three is unclear. What is certain, though, is that the biggest wartime loss of a naval ship in 40 years will raise troubling questions not only for Moscow, but for military planners around the world....
This is a huge strategic victory for Ukraine. Putin frequently threatened the use of nuclear weapons; the Moskva is why. Now, there are concerns that the nuclear missiles of the ship are sitting in water.
It could be assessed as to the presence of nuclear missiles on board by water displacement. The ship would sit lower in the water if the large missiles were on board. The conventional warhead weights 500 kilgrams. The nuclear warhead of the P-1000 is stated to weigh 350 Kt.
By Ahron Young
Anti-ship missiles P-1000 “Vulkan”, (click here) which can possibly carry a nuclear warhead were carried by the Moskva cruiser.
The sinking of the Soviet-era Moskva in the Black Sea prompted Russia to launch a retaliation against a weapons factory in Ukraine.
The defence ministry says it targeted the ‘Vizar’ plant on the edge of Kyiv, which it says manufactures Neptune anti-ship missiles....
