Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Thursday that the missile cruiser Moskva, the flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet, has sunk in stormy seas following a major fire onboard, Reuters reported.
The defense ministry had said earlier that the Soviet-era warship had been badly damaged by the fire.
"During the towing of the cruiser 'Moskva' to the port of destination the ship lost stability due to the damage to the hull received during the fire from the detonation of ammunition," local news agencies cited the ministry as saying.
"In the stormy sea conditions, the ship has sunk," it added.
On Wednesday, Ukraine claimed its forces had damaged the Moskva with missile strikes.
The Russian Interfax news agency later quoted the Russian Defense Ministry as having confirmed that the Moskva was badly damaged after ammunition on board blew up, though it did not say that the ship was attacked by Ukraine.