The first images have appeared of the sunken warship the Moskva.
The Russian defence ministry confirmed last week that the missile cruiser had sunk off the coast of Odessa.
At the time, state media claimed that the vessel had suffered an accidental fire, which had caused the ammunition onboard to detonate, resulting in a violent explosion.
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However, the Ukrainian military countered these claims, saying that its military had fired two R-360 Neptune anti-ship missiles at the warship from the shore.
Now, the first photographs of the vessel following the alleged strike have been shared on social media.
In one of the pictures, the Moskva can be seen tilting to its side, with smoke billowing out.
The second is slightly zoomed in and gives a better view of the damage.
The origin of the images is still unknown, but they were shared with the caption: "And here is the first, confirmed frame of 'Moscow' after .. the incident.
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"There are traces of a powerful fire in the compartments, traces of damage to the skin under the main superstructure and a roll to the port side (everything, according to the reports of the Armed Forces of Ukraine).
"PU with KR are intact, their detonation obviously did not occur."
There were 510 crew members on board the Moskva, and images appear to show the lifeboats had been fully deployed.
However, it's unclear how many casualties were suffered.
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Anton Gerashchenko, an advisor to the Kyiv Interior Ministry, claimed last week that 'all the crew died'.
And over the weekend, images appeared which were allegedly taken during a memorial service in Russia for the fallen crew.
A wreath reportedly placed by a Black Fleet statue read: "To the ship and the sailors."
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Russian media, however, shared footage over the weekend which they claimed showed the crew of the cruiser meeting the Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy.
Reports were also circulating last week that the Moskva may have been carrying a fragment of the 'true cross' at the time of its sinking.
Back in 2020, Russian media claimed the vessel was due to keep the relic in its onboard chapel.
According to the site, it is a fragment of wood, just a few millimetres in size, which some believe was taken from cross on which Christ was crucified.
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Speaking at the time, the Russian Orthodox Church’s Sevastopol District Sergiy Khalyuta said: "This relic used to belong to a Catholic church, but was acquired by anonymous patrons of arts, and it was their will to send the relic to the [Black Sea] fleet.
"The Moskva cruiser has an onboard chapel, where services take place."
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Topics: Ukraine, Russia, Politics
