Russia says flagship missile cruiser has sunk after explosion off coast of Ukraine

The flagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet sank after an attack from Ukrainian forces triggered a “significant explosion” as the vessel floated off the coast of Ukraine, U.S. officials said Thursday, with Moscow offering a competing claim about the cause of the destruction.

Russia’s Defense Ministry acknowledged the sinking but said its missile cruiser — the Moskva — had been damaged after a fire. Earlier that day, the hobbled warship was moving under its own power, heading to the Crimean port city of Sevastopol for repairs, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said. The episode buoys the morale of Ukrainian forces, who have repelled the Russian invasion for 50 days and are girding for a new phase of fierce fighting in the country’s east.