Russian navy evacuates flagship Moskva in Black Sea. Ukraine claims it was hit by a missile - CNN

Russian navy evacuates flagship Moskva in Black Sea. Ukraine claims it was hit by a missile - CNN

...Odesa state regional administrator Maxim Marchenko claimed in a post on Telegram that Ukrainian forces had used Neptune cruises missiles to attack the Moskva. If that's true, the Moskva would potentially be the largest warship ever taken out of action by a missile, Schuster said.

Such an achievement would represent a big advance for Kyiv's forces.

The Neptune is a Ukrainian weapon, developed domestically based on the Soviet KH-35 cruise missile. It became operational in the Ukrainian forces just last year, according to Ukrainian media reports.

f it was used to attack the Moskva, it would be the first known use of the Neptune during the war, according to a post on the website of the Center for International Maritime Security (CIMSEC) from Lt. Cmdr. Jason Lancaster, a US Navy surface warfare officer.

His post for the CIMSEC on Tuesday said the threat posed by mobile shore-based cruise missiles like the Neptune "changes operational behavior" of an enemy.

Russian "ships will operate in ways to minimize the risk of detection and maximize their chances to defend themselves," Lancaster wrote. "These behavioral changes limit Russia's ability to utilize their fleet to their advantage. The added stress of sudden combat increases fatigue and can lead to mistakes."

According to Patalano, the war professor: "It would appear the Russians have learned that the hard way today."

In the CIMSEC post, Lancaster notes the British Royal Navy lost several ships to missiles fired by Argentina during the 1982 Falklands War.

The Moskva also poses symbolic significance to Ukraine as it was one of the ships involved in the famous exchange at Snake Island in February, according to Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

According to a purported audio exchange in late February, as the Russians approached the Ukrainian garrison on Snake Island, also known as Zmiinyi Island, in the Black Sea, a Russian officer said: "This is a military warship. This is a Russian military warship. I suggest you lay down your weapons and surrender to avoid bloodshed and needless casualties. Otherwise, you will be bombed."

A Ukrainian soldier responded: "Russian warship, go f*** yourself."

If the Moskva is lost, it would be the second large-sized Russian naval vessel to suffer that fate during Moscow's war with Ukraine.