The crew of Russian flagship Moskva, which sunk in the Black Sea on Thursday, has been safely delivered to the port of Sevastopol, Russian state media TASS reported citing a source. 

No additional details were given about the number of crew members rescued. 

The guided-missile cruiser was emblematic of Russia’s military prowess and led the naval assault against Ukraine. The war-torn nation claimed to have hit the Moskva with anti-ship missiles. This vessel gained notoriety during the initial days of the invasion when it asked Ukrainian soldiers on Snake Island to surrender, only to be met with a defiant reply “Russian warship, go f**k yourself“, which became the nation’s rallying cry against President Vladimir Putin’s troops. 

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This incident even ended in Ukraine getting a unique stamp and after the battleship sunk, the government’s official Twitter handle also had a laugh at the Moskva’s expense. 

Ukraine managing to sink Russia’s symbol of dominance is a victorious feat in itself, as the nation faces a fresh wave of onslaught from the Donbas region in the east. It also marks the first time since the battle of Tsushima that Russia has lost a flagship. 

The Moskva, which was built during the Soviet era, had been in service since the 1980s. It was deployed during the Syrian civil war as well, providing support to Russian troops. 

For now, Russia has only acknowledged that the flagship witnessed a fire on board and the ammunition detonated. However, other Russian vessels have reportedly moved away from the coast, indicating a desire to escape the range of Ukrainian missiles. 

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Ukraine has claimed to have used the Neptune missiles on Moskva, which the nation began using after the threat in the Black Sea increased with Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. 

For now, Kremlin has not provided any updates on casualties from Moskva’s sinking.