"Our soldiers did the impossible": Reznikov recalls the destruction of the cruiser Moskva a year ago and explains how it affected the course of the war

On April 13, 2022, a Neptune anti-ship missile fired by the Ukrainian Navy sank the legendary cruiser Moskva, which was the pride of the Russian Armed Forces. The last time the Russian Black Sea Fleet lost a flagship of this type was more than a century ago, so last year's strike on the enemy vessel was a truly solemn and inspiring event for the whole of Ukraine.

As Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov described the event on his Facebook page, Ukrainian soldiers accomplished the virtually impossible and changed the course of a century of history. Such an attack on the invaders' fleet became extremely important in the subsequent strategy of the battle:

• the successful use of Ukrainian missiles at such a distance convinced our partners that there was no point in delaying the delivery of Harpoon missiles to the Ukrainian Armed Forces;
• after receiving the latter, Vice Admiral Oleksiy Neizhpapa's team successfully used them as well. As a result, the Russian occupiers fled Zmiinyi Island, which they called a "gesture of goodwill";
• the liberation of Zmiinyi allowed the opening of a "grain corridor". The world received Ukrainian products, and our country received resources for defence in return.

"If the Moskva had not been destroyed, this result would have been impossible to achieve. As a result, the Russian fleet is forced to hide to the south and east of Crimea. The Kremlin's dreams of landing in Odesa are a thing of the past. Now the Russians can only cowardly shell civilians from the air," Reznikov wrote in his post.

The head of the defence ministry noted that the story of the Moskva and Neptune has become a key issue in the future strategy against Russia, which has encroached on Ukraine's territorial borders. Only our army chooses what means to strike the enemy with, even if there are still world leaders who want to "save Putin and Russia's face".

"I am sure that after our victory, Moskva will become one of the most popular locations for divers. And tourists from all over the world will be in the Ukrainian Crimea raising glasses of fantastic Crimean wine to a good toast - "to the Russian navy - to the bottom!" he concluded ironically.

Earlier, Reznikov stressed that the Ukrainian Navy has something to surprise the invaders in the Black Sea. There are many surprises ahead for the Russian army.

As OBOZREVATEL reported, there are 5 Russian ships on combat duty in the Black Sea, two of which are Kalibr carriers. Currently, Ukraine may be threatened by up to 12 cruise missiles.

Moreover, in the Kherson region on the Kinburn Spit, the Russian occupiers have significantly reduced their activity. Back in late March, they reduced the number of attacks from there.

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