According to US Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby, the ship is still afloat and “functioning under her own power.”

He stated that they were unable to validate Ukraine’s assertion that two Neptune anti-ship missiles had struck it. “From the photographs, it appears to have been a rather large explosion as well.” “We have no idea what triggered the explosion,” he stated.

Russia stated that the explosion was caused by an on-board fire that ignited munitions stockpiles.

The Moskva is claimed to have strong radar arrays for guiding its anti-ship, anti-air, and anti-submarine missiles.

According to sources connected to Russia’s private military Wagner company, drones may have been employed to divert radar or as spotters. The Moskva, according to the same Russian military sources, was struck twice on its port side, forcing it to flip over and catch fire. There has been no official confirmation of fatalities.

According to Anton Gerashchenko, a Ukrainian government consultant, “in circumstances of an explosion of munitions aboard such a huge ship, between a quarter and half of the crew perishes.”

According to a defence officer, Russia’s air force is “terrified” of flying above Ukraine in disputed airspace. Experts were taken aback by the Kremlin’s early inability to win air supremacy.

It comes as the US said that it is deploying more than 40,000 artillery rounds, towed howitzers, armoured vehicles, and helicopters to Ukraine in response to President Volodymyr Zelensky’s appeal for assistance. Canada has stated that it will send up to 150 military men to Poland. More than half of the nearly 4.5 million people who have evacuated since the invasion began in late February have gone to neighbouring countries.