Russian cruiser Moskva

For other ships with the same name, see Russian ship Moskva.

Moskva seen from the air in 2009
History
→ Soviet Union → Russia
Name	Slava (in Soviet service) Moskva (from 2000)
Namesake	Glory / Moscow
Builder	61 Kommunara Shipbuilding Plant (SY 445), Nikolayev, Soviet Union
Laid down	1976
Launched	1979
Commissioned	30 January 1983
Decommissioned	September 1990
Reinstated	April 2000
Identification	121
Fate	Evacuated, per Russian government sources
Status	Unknown (missile strike per Ukrainian government sources, ammunition explosion per Russian government sources)
Notes	Flagship of the Black Sea Fleet
General characteristics
Class and type	Slava-class cruiser
Displacement	12,490 tons
Length	186.4 m (611.5 ft)
Beam	20.8 m (68.2 ft)
Draught	8.4 m (27.6 ft)
Propulsion	4 COGOG gas turbines, 2 shafts 121,000 shp (90,000 kW)
Speed	32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph)
Range	10,000 nmi (19,000 km; 12,000 mi) at 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Complement	510
Sensors and processing systems	Voskhod MR-800 (Top Pair) 3D search radar Fregat MR-710 (Top Steer) 3D search radar Palm Frond navigation radar Pop group SA-N-4 fire control radar Top Dome SA-N-6 fire control radar Bass Tilt AK-360 CIWS System fire control radar Bull horn MF hull mounted sonar
Electronic warfare & decoys	Rum Tub and Side Globe EW antennas 2 × PK-2 DL (140mm chaff / flare)
Armament	16 × P-500 Bazalt or P-1000 Vulkan anti-ship missiles 8 × 8 (64) S-300F Fort (SA-N-6 Grumble) long-range surface-to-air missiles 2 × 20 (40) OSA-MA (SA-N-4 Gecko) SR SAM 1 × twin AK-130 130mm/L70 dual purpose guns 6 × AK-630 close-in weapons systems 2 × RBU-6000 anti-submarine mortars 10 × (2 quin) 533mm torpedo tubes
Armour	Splinter plating
Aircraft carried	1 Ka-25 or Ka-27 helicopter

Moskva (Russian: Москва, lit. 'Moscow'), formerly Slava (Russian: Слава, lit. 'Glory'), is a guided missile cruiser of the Russian Navy. She was the lead ship of the Project 1164 Atlant class and was named after the city of Moscow. She is the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

On 13 April 2022, two Ukrainian officials said that Moskva had been hit by Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missiles and was afire in heavy seas. The Russian Ministry of Defense said the ship was seriously damaged after a fire caused a munitions explosion, without any reference to a Ukrainian strike. Russian and American officials reported the vessel remained afloat.

History

Slava c. 1983

As Slava

Slava was laid down in 1976 in Shipyard 445 of the 61 Kommunara Shipbuilding Plant in Mykolaiv, was launched in 1979, and commissioned on 30 January 1983. Between 18–22 November 1986 the ship visited the Greek port of Piraeus.

Slava played a role in the Malta Summit (2–3 December 1989) between Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev and US President George H. W. Bush. She was used by the Soviet delegation, while the US delegation had their sleeping quarters aboard USS Belknap. The ships were anchored in a roadstead off the coast of Marsaxlokk. Stormy weather and choppy seas resulted in some meetings being cancelled or rescheduled, and gave rise to the moniker the "Seasick Summit" among international media. In the end, the meetings took place aboard Maxim Gorkiy, a Soviet cruise ship anchored in Marsaxlokk Bay.

Slava returned to Mykolaiv in December 1990 for a refit that lasted until April 2000.

As Moskva

Moskva in 2009

Moskva in 2012

Recommissioned as Moskva in April 2000, she replaced the Kynda-class cruiser Admiral Golovko as the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

In early April 2003, Moskva, along with Russian patrol boat Pytlivy, Smetlivy, and a landing ship departed Sevastopol for exercises in the Indian Ocean with a Pacific Fleet task group (Marshal Shaposhnikov and Admiral Panteleyev) and the Indian Navy. The force was supported by the Project 1559V tanker Ivan Bubnov and the Project 712 ocean-going tug Shakhter.

Moskva visited Malta's Grand Harbour in October 2004, and the Ensemble of the Black Sea Fleet performed at a concert at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta for the occasion. In years 2008 and 2009, she visited Mediterranean Sea and participated in naval drills with the ships of the Northern Fleet.

In August 2008, in support of the Russian invasion of Georgia, Moskva was deployed to secure the Black Sea. During a brief surface engagement, the Georgian Navy scored one missile hit on Moskva before being overwhelmed. After Russia's recognition of Abkhazia's independence, the ship was stationed at the Abkhazian capital, Sukhumi.

On 3 December 2009, Moskva was laid up for a month at floating dock PD-30 for a scheduled interim overhaul which comprised replacement of cooling and other machinery, reclamation work at bottom and outboard fittings, propulsion shafts and screws, clearing and painting of bottom and above-water parts of the ship's hull.

In April 2010 it was reported that the cruiser would join other navy units in the Indian Ocean to conduct exercises. In August 2013 the cruiser visited Havana, Cuba.

In late August 2013, the cruiser was deployed to the Mediterranean Sea in response to the build-up of American warships along the coast of Syria. During the 2014 Crimean Crisis, Moskva was responsible for blockading the Ukrainian fleet in Donuzlav Lake.

On 17 September 2014, she was deployed to the Mediterranean Sea, taking shift from guard ship Pytlivy.

In July 2015, she visited Luanda, Angola, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between countries. From the end of September 2015, while in eastern Mediterranean, the cruiser was charged with the air defences for the Russian aviation group based near the Syrian town of Latakia that conducted the air campaign in Syria. On 25 November 2015, after the 2015 Russian Sukhoi Su-24 shootdown, it was reported that Moskva, armed with the S-300F surface-to-air missile system, would be deployed near the coastal Syria-Turkey border. In 2016, she was replaced by sister ship Varyag in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. On 22 July 2016 Moskva was awarded the Order of Nakhimov.

Upon return from her deployment in January 2016, the ship was to undergo a refit and upgrade but due to lack of funds her future remained uncertain as of July 2018.

In June 2019, the cruiser left the port of Sevastopol in the Black Sea where she would run tests on several combat systems and the main propulsion.

On 3 July 2020, Moskva completed repairs and maintenance which would allow her to remain in service until 2040. The first post-repair exit to sea was scheduled for August 2020, however in reality she only began to prepare for the deployment in February 2021. She was reported on exercises at sea in March 2021.

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

Attack on Snake Island

Ukrainian postage stamp with Russian cruiser Moskva

In February 2022, the cruiser left Sevastopol as part of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The ship was later used against the Ukrainian armed forces during the attack on Snake Island together with the Russian patrol boat Vasily Bykov. Moskva hailed the island's garrison over the radio and demanded its surrender, and was told "Russian warship, go fuck yourself" (Russian: 'Русский военный корабль, иди на хуй', romanized: Russky voyenny korabl, idi na khuy). After this, all contact was lost with Snake Island, and the entire thirteen-member Ukrainian garrison was captured.

The attack was widely publicized when an audio clip of Ukrainian soldier Roman Hrybov replying to the warship, surfaced with initial inaccurate reports of their deaths. Later on, it emerged that a civilian search and rescue ship trying to evacuate the soldiers was also captured along with the garrison. The ship, its crew, and at least one soldier were subsequently freed in prisoner exchanges.

Incident on 13 April

On 13 April 2022, Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych and Odesa governor Maksym Marchenko said that Moskva had been hit by two Neptune anti-ship missiles and was on fire in rough seas. Arestovych said there were 510 crew members aboard. Ukrainian sources reported that the attack was supported by a Bayraktar TB2 drone which distracted the Russian ship's defences. On 14 April, Ukrainian Southern Command claimed that Moskva had capsized and was beginning to sink.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that a fire had caused munitions to explode, the ship had been seriously damaged and the crew fully evacuated, without any reference to a Ukrainian strike. The Russian Defence Ministry added on 14 April that the missile systems of the cruiser were undamaged, the fire was contained by sailors and that efforts were underway to tow the ship to port.

According to News Corp Australia, open-source intelligence analysts have reported that distress signals were transmitted from Moskva, including "SOS", "sinking", and messages related to attempts to rescue her crew in morse code, and that multiple assistance vessels had appeared near the last known location of the ship.

On 14 April 2022, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said that imagery showed the ship had suffered a sizable explosion, but was "able to make its own way" and appeared to be headed toward the port in Sevastopol for repairs. The Pentagon confirmed that Moskva was on fire but afloat and moving across the Black Sea, although it was unclear whether she was moving under her own power or being towed.

Some Russian warships in the northern Black Sea moved further away from the coast after the incident.

External links

• "75 Photos Guided Missile Cruiser Moskva (English language)". Cruiser Moskva. Archived from the original on 22 October 2007. Retrieved 3 September 2007.