Wreck of Sunken Russian Cruiser Moskva Found, 110-Year-Old Salvage Ship Kommuna On The Way

Ten days after Russia confirmed its Black Sea Fleet flagship Moskva sank, the wreck of the cruiser has reportedly been located. The site is around 28 nautical miles southeast of Moskva's last known location on April 13.

The location of Moskva has been provisionally identified using open source intelligence, and analysis of radar satellite imagery points to the vicinity of 44.92002°, 31.49265°, according to defense analyst H I Sutton. The oil from the wreck shows up when the image is filtered correctly.

Ukraine too has confirmed that the wreck has been located, as per information shared on Telegram. According to advisor to Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Anton Gerashchenko, there is a second slick, north of the first one and likely from the same source.

"The exact location was located by satellite radar based on an analysis of sea pollution by surfactants - fuels and oils that cover the surface of the sea above the crash site. Space radar even allows you to see the silhouette of the cruiser Moskva, resting forever at a depth of 40-45 meters," he said.

According to Sutton, the location of the slick generally supports Russian claims, supported by the U.S., that the vessel sunk while being towed back to Sevastopol. It got about 30 nautical miles before sinking.

This comes as reports claim Russia has sent a 110-year-old Navy rescue vessel named Kommuna — one of Kremlin's oldest operational naval vessels — for salvage operations. The salvage ship, thought to be carrying AS-28 deep-submergence rescue vehicles (DSRVs), are designed to dive 1,000 meters deep. Based in Sevastopol, Crimea, the ship can easily locate the wreck through its modern hardware.

However, according to Sutton, Kommuna has so far not been seen in the vicinity of the wreck. Not just the salvage vessel, there is no sight of any other ships too. This may be because Kommuna postponed or aborted the mission or is yet to reach the site. "Or perhaps the analysis was mistaken, and it was a coincidence that she was heading towards the site," said Sutton.

Meanwhile, Russian Navy ships have been spotted near Odessa last day.

Four-ship formation of corvettes was seen Sunday along with possible submarine movements. Many less defended Russian ships continue to sail unescorted, especially closer to the Crimean coast, the defense analyst added.