Ukraine's Ministry of Protection stated on Friday that Russian ships within the Black Sea nonetheless have "a approach out" after the reported sinking of the Russian warship Moskva.

"The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine reminds the russian navy that the Black Sea straits are closed for entry solely. The a part of your fleet that continues to be afloat nonetheless has a approach out," the Ukrainian Ministry of Protection wrote in a tweet.

Friday's tweet comes only a day after studies that the Moskva, one in every of Russia's main missile cruiser ships in its Black Sea fleet had sunk. Ukrainian officers claimed that the ship sank after it was hit by Ukrainian Neptune missiles.

In a tweet on Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's advisor Oleksiy Arestovych wrote, "The flagship of the Russian navy, Moskva, carried out a destructive surfacing operation within the space of that island the place it was advised to go f*** itself. The place is Moskva? It sunk," as beforehand translated by Newsweek.

Nevertheless, Russia's Protection Ministry has disputed these claims and as a substitute stated that the ship sank resulting from a hearth. Russia's state-run information outlet, TASS, quoted Russia's Protection Ministry as saying: "In the course of the towing of the Moskva cruiser to the port of vacation spot, the ship misplaced its stability resulting from injury to the hull obtained throughout the fireplace from the detonation of ammunition. Within the circumstances of stormy seas, the ship sank."

Moskva
Ukrainian officers stated on Friday that Russian ships within the Black Sea nonetheless have "a approach out" after studies that the Russian ship Moskva sank on Thursday. Above, Russian residents are seen waving flags as they welcome Russian missile cruiser Moskva because it getting into Sevastopol bay on August 23, 2008. VASILY BATANOV/AFP/Getty

The Ukrainian authorities's official Twitter account additionally issued a response to the studies that the ship had sunk, saying "Russian warship, what are you sinking?"

Whereas chatting with MSNBC's Morning Joe on Thursday, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby stated that the U.S. can't affirm nor "rule out" that the ship sank after it was hit by a Ukrainian missile.

Kirby additionally spoke to CNN's Jake Tapper afterward Thursday and stated it is "certainty believable and doable" that the ship sank after it was hit by a Ukrainian Neptune missile.

"This can be a huge blow to the [Russian] Black Sea fleet," Kirby stated. "This can be a cruiser. Very, very succesful warship with nearly 500 sailors onboard and a key a part of their efforts to execute some kind of naval dominance within the Black Sea. So, that is going to affect their capabilities."

Following the studies of the ship sinking, an evaluation from Forbes Ukraine discovered that this was a lack of roughly $750 million.

Sean Spoonts, editor-in-chief of Particular Operations Forces Report, advised Newsweek on Thursday that "It may simply be $700 million to switch that ship," however famous that it was unlikely Russia would try to switch the ship.

Newsweek reached out to the international ministries in Russia and Ukraine for remark.