Furious Kremlin claims WW3 has been triggered by sinking of its Black Sea flagship as they launch brutal revenge
FURIOUS Kremlin stooges yesterday claimed World War Three had been triggered by the sinking of its Black Sea flagship — and launched a brutal revenge.
Hundreds of sailors were believed to have died after 12,500-ton Moskva was hit by a devastating missile strike.
There were rumours the missiles were provided by Nato supporters of Ukraine, and Britain has sent anti-ship weapons.
But sources insisted the Slava-class cruiser was sunk by Ukraine-made Neptune missiles after its radar was distracted by a Turkish-made Byraktar drone.
It was the first time the Russian navy had lost a flagship since battleship Knyaz Suvorov was torpedoed by Japan in the war of 1905.
It was also the largest warship lost since World War Two.
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President Vladimir Putin’s mouthpiece Olga Skabeyeva said on state-run Rossiya 1 TV station: “It can safely be called World War Three. That’s entirely for sure.
“We’re definitely fighting against Nato infrastructure, if not Nato itself. We need to recognise that.”
Military pundit Dmitry Drozdenko said: “A full-scale multi-level war is underway with the collective West.”
The Russian war machine retaliated by blasting cruise missiles at a factory in Kyiv’s suburbs which makes and maintains Neptune weapons.
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And, for the first time, long-range bombers joined the bombardment of besieged port city Mariupol.
Trapped civilians said Russian forces were digging up bodies and not allowing new burials.
The city council sent out a message saying: “Why the exhumation is being carried out and where the bodies will be taken is unknown.”.
In rural Kharkiv Russian forces shot an evacuation bus killing at least 27 people, officials said.
The Moskva attack — a major embarrassment for Kremlin warlords — was a huge morale booster for Ukraine’s die-hard fighters.
Defence minister and scuba fan Oleksii Reznikov tweeted: “We have one more diving spot in the Black Sea now. Will definitely visit the wreck after our victory in the war.”
The 12,5000-ton Moskva was armed with 16 Vulcan anti-ship missiles, which can carry — but there is no evidence of nukes onboard when she went down.
Its main role in the Black Sea was commanding other warships and protecting them from air strikes with its 64 S-300 air-defence missiles.
Ukraine claimed the ship’s captain Anton Kuprin, 44, was killed during “an explosion and fire on board”.
At least four other Russian warships retreated from coast in the immediate aftermath of Wednesday’s blitz.
Russia initially claimed the ship had been hit by a deck fire which ignited its ammunition.
It later said the cruiser had sunk in a storm as it was being towed to port in Crimea.
'SOS' SIGNAL
In an early account, Lithuanian Defence Minister Arvydas Anušauskash said the Moskva broadcast an “SOS” signal at 1.05am on Thursday.
Ten minutes later it was listing and half an hour after that “all the power went out,” he said.
He added: “As of 2am, a Turkish ship evacuated 54 sailors from the cruiser and at around 3am Turkey and Romania reported that the ship had completely sunk.”
He said Russian losses were “not yet known” with 485 people onboard at the time, including 66 soldiers.
Russia said the crew was ordered to abandon ship and state news agency TASS said survivors were brought to the Russian base at Savastopol, in Crimea — but it did not say how many.
The ship had been due to serve for a record 60 years until 2040.
Meanwhile the Russian blitz went on.
Kharkiv was hammered with heavy artillery and rocket strikes which set at least three homes ablaze near its botanical garden, a mile from the city centre.
Helena Rukash, 50, and her 14-year-old daughter Polina had fled to the neighbourhood thinking it was safer than their flat in the bombed-out Saltivka district.
They were in the two-storey house with her husband Pavel and her 83-year-old dad Alexander.
Helena said: “We heard an explosion and the whole house shook.
“We went to the cellar but then we smelled fire and we had to take our chances outside.”
Polina managed to save her pet hamster Homer as the inferno spread to a neighbouring home
A second rocket hit a neighbour’s garage, about 50 metres away, engulfing his home in flames.
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Nikolai Zmii, 85, said: “I have lived here my whole life. I built my home with my own hands and now look at it.
“My house has a basement. I thought it was safe, but nowhere is safe anymore.”
