Russia has released a video that it claims shows survivors of the warship Moskva, which was sunk by a Ukrainian missile attack.
The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation posted a soundless and undated 26-second video on its Twitter and Facebook page showing more than one hundred officers being greeted by Admiral Nikolai Evmenov, commander-in-chief of the Russian navy.
It was posted with the caption (translated from Russian): “Commander-in-Chief of the Navy Admiral Nikolai Evmenov and the command of the Black Sea Fleet held a meeting with the crew of the missile cruiser Moskva in Sevastopol.
“Admiral Nikolai Evmenov informed the crew of the cruiser that officers, midshipmen and sailors would continue to serve in the Navy.
“The traditions of the guards missile cruiser ‘Moskva’ will be carefully preserved and continued, as it has always been accepted in the Navy.”
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The Daily Mail reports that one of the officers in the parade resembled Anton Kuprin, commander of the Moskva. Ukraine claims he was killed in the attack, along with his entire 510-strong crew.
Anton Gerashchenko, an advisor to the Kyiv Interior Ministry, claimed: “The leadership of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation have deliberately hidden the truth from relatives and friends of the crew members.
“All the crew of the cruiser Moskva died.”
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However, international sources indicate there were some survivors.
The Telegraph reports a few dozen crew members were able to be rescued, although this would still make the incident the worst single Russian military casualty event since the Second World War.
Lithuania’s Defence Minister, Arvydas Anusauskas, said at least 54 crew members were evacuated to a Turkish vessel after the Moskva sent out a distress signal.
Moscow said the missile cruiser sank following an ammunition explosion last Wednesday, 13 April, after being towed out in rough seas.
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According to the US, the Moskva sank after being hit by two Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missiles.
Russia initially claimed that the ‘entire crew’ of the vessel had been rescued, though The Telegraph reports the state-owned TASS news agency later removed the word ‘entire’.
There was no more word from the survivors until the above 26-second clip was released.
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Simon Fearn