‘Broken Arrow’ incident possible as Russian flagship sinks in Black Sea

On Thursday, the Ukrainian military fired two missiles at the Moskva, the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, off the coast of Crimea.

The blow triggered an ammunition explosion that caused massive damage to the ship. When the Moskva, a guided missile cruiser, was towed into the nearby port of Sevastopol, she sank.

Now analysts fear the ship may have had two nuclear warheads on board Daily Mail. They are calling for an immediate investigation into the possible “broken arrow” incident, which the outlet explained as “military slang for a nuclear weapons accident.”

BREAKING: The head of the Odessa regional defense and the adviser to the Ukrainian President Oleksiy Arestovych confirm that the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the missile cruiser “Moskva”, was hit and caught fire after two Neptune missile attacks. pic.twitter.com/dLMecCABWl

— Tim McMillan (@LtTimMcMillan) April 13, 2022

According to US intelligence, US intelligence does not believe the Moscow River was carrying nuclear weapons New York Post.

However, citing East2West News, the Post reported that Mykhailo Samus, deputy director of the Center for Army, Conversion and Disarmament Studies, said there could be “two units” on the ship. However, he noted that the weapons would have been kept in a “protected location” and most likely were not damaged by the blast.

Ukraine’s Defense Express News reported that “the Moskva missile cruiser that overturned and began to sink after being hit by R-360 Neptun missiles is a carrier of nuclear weapons.”

“In particular, we are talking about anti-ship missiles P-1000 ‘Vulkan’, of which the ship has 16 units,” the outlet reported.

“This information is not a secret at all, since this cruiser is designed to destroy aircraft carrier strike groups. However, the main problem is the placement of P-1000 missiles. … That is, is nuclear ammunition always on board or is it only loaded on special orders?”

An explanation may have to wait as the Russians are unlikely to be in the mood to cooperate.

First they are humiliated. Russian media report that a fire aboard the Moskva caused the damage instead of admitting it was hit by Ukrainian missiles.

Second, the loss of the ship is more than embarrassing for the Russians; it is a severe military setback.

Eastern Europe expert Sergei Sumlenny and former Defense Ministry official Trent Telenko explained on Twitter why the sinking of the Moskva River is a “disaster” for Russia.

Since Turkey does not allow new Russian ships to enter the Black Sea, the Moskva cannot be replaced.

The loss of the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet “Moskva”, destroyed by the Ukrainian army yesterday, is enormous. Here are the reasons:
1) “Moskva” had a top radar system, which was crucial for anti-aircraft support of the fleet
2) Russia has very few Tier 1 naval ships. Nobody is in the Black Sea anymore /1

— Sergei Sumlenny (@sumlenny) April 14, 2022

2.1) In fact, the Russians have only 3 Tier 1 ships left for 4 fleets. It’s a disaster;
3) Since Turkey does not allow new Russian ships to enter the Black Sea, no replacement for “Moskva” possible;
4) The flagship crew consisted of over 500 elite men. Only 54 seem to have been saved /2

— Sergei Sumlenny (@sumlenny) April 14, 2022

The ship has deterred air traffic in the southern part of Ukraine, so its loss opens the sky for air support.

Why pinning Moskva River was crucial for Ukrainian Air Force in the South and Black Seas.

By DM:
“She carries 64 S-300s, she is basically a massive area denial device for Ukrainian aviation in the south. When she’s down, they’ll ambush that front with air support.”
1/

— Trent Telenko (@TrentTelenko) April 13, 2022

This blow was a battlefield preparation for the upcoming Ukrainian advance from Kherson.

The Ukrainian TB2 can now roam to the Black Sea coast of Crimea, as they did when they pinned down the 60-car Russian fuel train.

Crimea’s western sea air flank is now wide open.
2/

— Trent Telenko (@TrentTelenko) April 13, 2022

According to the mirrorsince the sinking of the Moskva, Russian state media have been reporting that World War III has begun.

The significance of this loss for Russia cannot be overstated; it was a crucial moment in this war.