The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed on Thursday that the Moskva, the flagship warship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, sank while being towed to a port after losing her stability. According to Russia, the ship was damaged by a fire caused by the detonation of munitions.

On Wednesday, Ukrainian government authorities claimed that their armed forces launched missiles against the vessel, causing damage. There was an explosion, and the cruiser was on fire, according to Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych and Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine's Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Russia's Moskva Warship Sinks, a Major Setback in Ukraine War

Two anti-ship cruise missiles targeted the cruiser in the Black Sea, causing "quite significant damage," Odessa Governor Maksym Marchenko said on Telegram.

Russia had previously said that the ship had been severely damaged but did not confirm that this was due to Ukrainian strikes. A fire on board the ship, according to Russia, prompted all 510 crew members to flee, ABC News reported.

Russia subsequently said that the ship's fire had been extinguished and that the Moskva would be towed to a port. The primary missile weaponry on board was not damaged, which made no mention of missile attacks in its statement.

A senior US defense official said the crew of the Moskva is still battling a fire aboard the ship. About a half-dozen more ships that had been near the Moskva have now moved further away from the shore towards the Black Sea.

The war for Ukraine's east is anticipated to heat up in the coming days, with forces redeployed from regions surrounding Kyiv in recent weeks, as well as more units from Russian land.

Izyum is predicted to be one of the most volatile areas of the conflict since it is located between Kharkiv and the Donbas provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk, close to Russia's western border.

According to a US defense think tank, Russia's army would likely try to take Izyum and Slovyansk first, then move south to surround a chunk of Ukraine's south-east. Despite Putin's best efforts, military sources in Kyiv claim that the troops anticipated to swarm the east in the coming days will still fall short of the level required for Russia to win.

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Ukraine Faces Toughest Test Against Russia

Per Daily Mail, it comes as photographs illustrate how trench warfare is still a hallmark of European combat, with Ukrainian forces pictured preparing themselves for a Russian attack. Since Russia invaded Donbas in 2014, Ukraine's strongest forces have been dug in around the territory, but the next weeks will be their toughest test.

The Ministry of Defense (MoD) of the United Kingdom warned Tuesday that combat would escalate in the 'next two to three weeks,' signifying the start of a new phase of the conflict. Meanwhile, British military intelligence said today that the Ukrainian towns of Kramatorsk and Kostiantynivka, the first of which was recently targeted by a Russian rocket attack that hit a civilian evacuation center, are likely to be singled out by Putin's troops for the same levels of violence seen in Bucha.

The Ministry of Defense claimed in a report on the battle that widespread missile and artillery attacks, as well as efforts to consolidate forces for an assault, demonstrated a return to conventional Russian military tactics.

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