The entire world had it wrong, including Vladimir Putin.
Upon learning about the size of the Russian force amassing on the borders of Ukraine, the global community sighed and wondered just how quickly it would all be over. Russia was, after all, one of the largest nations on the planet, with what we thought at the time was one of the fiercest armies ever seen.
Spolier alert: Not so much.
The Ukrainians have not only been able to largely best the Russians on close combat, but the smaller nation is now reaching out and creating new front lines of their own.
“As a result of a fire, ammunition detonated on the Moskva missile cruiser. The ship was seriously damaged,” the Russian defence ministry was quoted as saying, adding that the cause of the fire was being determined and that the crew had been evacuated.
Earlier, the governor of Odessa said that Ukrainian forces had hit the Moskva with missile strikes.
“Neptune missiles guarding the Black Sea caused very serious damage to the Russian ship. Glory to Ukraine!” governor Maksym Marchenko wrote on Telegram.
But then, confusion:
Ukrainian presidential advisor Oleksiy Arestovych said that “a surprise happened” with the Moskva.
“It burns strongly. Right now. And with this stormy sea, it is unknown whether they will be able to receive help,” he said in a YouTube broadcast.
The Moskva was said to be “seriously damaged” by all accounts.
The news is just the latest embarrassment to Putin’s army, as the reputation of the Russian military machine hangs in the balance.
