The Kremlin on Tuesday refused to disclose the details of the victims of the sinking of the missile cruiser “Moscow” amid demands from parents to find out the circumstances of their missing children, according to AFP.
The flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet sank last week after an explosion and fire, which Ukraine said resulted from two Neptune anti-ship missiles, while Moscow says the cause was an explosion of ammunition on board.
Russian authorities have announced that the crew was evacuated from a cruiser that could number up to 680 people, but did not provide other details.
After the flooding of Moscow, parents and other family members of the sailors on board, including conscripts, wrote on social media that their children were missing and demanded answers.
In response to a request to comment on the situation, a spokesman for President Vladimir Putin said today that the Kremlin has no right to disclose any details.
“All communications go only through the Ministry of Defense,” said Dmitry Peskov. “All information on this issue has been provided by the Ministry of Defense, and we do not have the authority to announce anything.”
Several families reported on social media or in statements to independent Russian or foreign media that they could not find their children who had served in Moscow.
Dmytro Shkrebets noted that his son, conscript Yegor, was a cook on the ship and is now considered missing in battle. He added that when he tried to learn more about the tragedy, the cruiser’s commander and his deputy became unfriendly.
Scraper said on Monday that he had contacted three other families whose sons also disappeared during the flood.
“We need written answers to our questions about the whereabouts of our children,” he said.
The independent Russian-language website Meduza claims, citing a source close to the Black Sea Fleet command, that 37 members of the Moscow crew were killed. According to the publication, 100 people were injured, and the exact number of missing is unknown.
About 500 people were on board at the time of the attack on “Moscow”, according to Meduza, citing a source.