Two Neptune antiship missiles hit the Russian Black Sea flagship Moskva. The guided-missile cruiser Moskva was then sunk by a storm. Unanswered question: Was the Moskva armed with nuclear weapons?
The cruiser was outfitted with SS-12 “Sandbox” anti-ship cruise missiles. It could also carry a 350-kiloton nuke warhead.
Ukraine raised the question of nuclear weapons. They would be negligent not to. Russia denied the allegation which raised suspicion. If you’ve been following the evolution of Putin’s War, you’ll know that Russia has three options for responding to any accusation against Russia of doing something criminal or egregious. they have three sequential responses a) we didn’t do it, b) you faked it to create a “provocation,” and c) you do it all the time.
The ship went down less than a week after it was launched.
BROKEN ARROW: The Russian navy has deployed a deep diving submersible to the wreck of the cruiser Moskva. The unusual move of conducting a salvage operation in an active war zone adds credence to reports that Moskva carried nuclear weapons. pic.twitter.com/qPTm31LTPX
— Chuck Pfarrer (@ChuckPfarrer) April 22, 2022
In a quite interesting development, the world’s oldest active naval ship, the submarine tender/rescue ship KOMMUNA, is reported to be over the wreck of the sunken cruiser #MOSKVA, probably supporting a minisub. KOMMUNA entered service in 1915 – under the last Tsar. https://t.co/Kl5igKlKF8
— Chris Cavas (@CavasShips) April 22, 2022
Forbes says: While it’s not clear what the Russian salvage crew may be looking to find, it could include cryptological material (radios and key codes that indicate secret codes), as well as weapons or logs which could be valuable to a foreign power.
There might be bodies. The Kremlin circulated quick video footage of survivors of the cruiser but it only showed about 500 of the men on board Moskva as she was sinking.
There was speculation in the days that the cruiser had nuclear warheads inside her magazines. The Pentagon refuted this rumor.
The Jerusalem Post offers more information:
All of the missile tubes, sensors, and munitions may be salvageable. Also, a Christian relic from “True Cross” was seen.
There was a rumor that the Moskva was hit with nuclear weapons. However, a senior US defense official said last Monday that there were no signs that any nuclear weapons had been aboard the Moskva when it fell.
Hutton states that the Moskva will likely be too large for the recovery of the hull.
According to the US defense official, they have not witnessed any Russian attempt to recover the Moskva. The cruiser is approximately 600 feet long. To lift this ship to the surface would require a lot of engineering. “We haven’t seen any indications they are interested in doing so”.
The warship was 600 feet long and weighed 11,490 tons. It was submerged in 300 feet of water. The question is, would it be worth the effort to deploy divers or a submersible to recover the warship that measured 600 feet in length? It is hard to believe that any crypto gear or electronics can still be saved. It is absurd to imagine that conventional munitions or missile tubes can be saved with such a high level of effort. It is possible that the Russians are trying to salvage human remains from the wreckage. This is also absurd. Ships cannot enter the Black Sea. The Straits is required for ships entering the Black Sea. The shipwreck of Moskva is located just a few kilometers from Sebastopol (the main Russian naval base). To ensure safety, the wreck site and vessels entering the Black Sea could all be physically monitored. After the destruction of K-129, there is no danger of another Glomar Explorer.
Although bureaucratic stupidity can’t be denied, I believe the Moskva has one or more nuclear warheads. BBC reports that at least two Soviet-powered nuclear-armed submarines went missing in Arctic waters. The K-27 can be found in the Kara Sea while the K-159 can be found in the Barents Sea. Both have no evidence of radioactive leaching. It’s absurd to believe that the Russians suddenly heard Greta Thunberg and became obsessed with protecting the environment. Russia might be trying to prevent a public disaster by keeping nuclear weapons at the sea bottom. As I already mentioned, there are very few risks involved with this. The warheads are also easier to arm third parties than you might think.
All speculation aside, this is speculation. At the Moskva site, a submersible-equipped salvage vessel has been found. This is not a logical explanation.
