Moskva flagship sinking exposes Russian Navy frailty, experts say

Failure to protect and respond to missile attack shows major operational flaws

Was the Black Sea Fleet flagship Moskva carrying a fragment from the True Cross, the cross that Jesus Christ was crucified on? (Source photos by Reuters)

KEN MORIYASU, Nikkei Asia diplomatic correspondent

April 20, 2022 20:06 JST

TOKYO -- The Russian guided missile cruiser Moskva, flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, is thought to have been carrying a fragment of the True Cross, the very cross Christians believe Jesus Christ was crucified on, when it sank on April 14.

A February 2020 report from Russian news agency Tass quoted the archpriest of the Russian Orthodox Church's Sevastopol District saying that a wood chip from the cross, only several millimeters long, is embedded into a 19th century metal cross and will be kept in Moskva's onboard chapel.