Russia has admitted that its Black Sea flagship cruiser Moskva- the flagship of its fleet in the Black Sea- went up in flames on Thursday, with Ukraine claiming it was hit by missiles.
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Russia's Defense Ministry said the Moskva cruiser had been severely damaged, after ammunition on board exploded from the fire.
The crew, estimated at about 500 people, were all rescued, the statement added.
The Russian ministry did not specify what caused the initial fire, saying it was under investigation.
"We hit it," Ukrainians say
Ukrainian officials said the 12,500-ton ship had been hit by two Ukrainian missiles.
No further details of this were given, but Odessa Governor Maxim Marchenko told Telegram, "It was confirmed that the Moskva cruiser went today exactly where our border guards sent it, to Fidonisi."
The Neptune missiles guarding the Black Sea caused very serious damage to the Russian ship. Glory to Ukraine!"
His comments about Fidonisi were made because, on the day after the Russian invasion began, the Moskva was one of two Russian ships approaching that island in the Black Sea.
There, the Russians ordered 13 Ukrainian soldiers defending the island to surrender, but the Ukrainians responded by radio, telling the Moskva and its crew to "go f@ck off".
What is the Moskva cruiser
According to the BBC, the Moskva cruiser was built in the early 1980s in what was then the USSR.
Specifically, it was built in the southern Ukrainian city of Mikolayf, which has been regularly shelled in recent days by Russian troops.
The 186-metre-long ship was originally named Slava, but was later renamed Moskva (Moscow).
The warship's main armament is P-1000 Vulkan missiles.
The cruiser - which became the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet in 2000 - played a key role during Russia's military campaign in Syria, which began in 2015.
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