Flagship Russian cruiser ‘EXPLODES after Ukrainian missile strike’ weeks after firing on defiant Snake Island defenders

RUSSIA’S most important ship in the Black Sea has reportedly exploded after allegedly being hit by a Ukrainian missile. Ukrainian officials boasted about destroying the Moskva missile cruiser after it was reportedly hit on Wednesday. ReutersThe Moskva missile cruiser is said to have been devastated by the strike which sparked a blaze[/caption] AlamyThe flagship vessel infamously fired at 13 Ukrainian troops on Snake Island[/caption] Odesa governor Maksym Marchenko victoriously claimed the strike had caused “serious damage” to the flagship cruiser. Ammunition onboard is thought to have blown up, sparking a blaze, with Russian state media saying all crew had been evacuated. Moscow’s defence ministry are said to have announced the cause of the blast is being investigated. Governor Marchenko triumphantly wrote on Telegram: “Neptune missiles guarding the Black Sea caused very serious damage to the Russian ship. Glory to Ukraine!” Read More on Ukraine It comes just weeks after the soviet-era ship opened fire on 13 defiant border guards tasked with protecting Snake Island. The Ukrainians infamously told Putin’s men “go f**k yourselves” after being asked to surrender. According to Ukrainian presidential advisor Oleksiy Arestovych, the ship was “burning strongly” after the supposedly successful strike. He said in a YouTube broadcast that “a surprise happened with the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet”. Most read in The Sun BEYOND THE VEIL Curse of Big Fat Gypsy Wedding - from messy divorce to tragic suicide pact LAWLESS Inside town ‘held to ransom’ by gangs where cops are ‘too scared’ to catch crooks making waves Charlotte Crosby reveals baby bump for first time after announcing pregnancy sudden shock Charlotte Dawson quits Instagram after 'awful news' a lotte of tricks All the ways Charlotte Crosby hid baby bump as she reveals she's pregnant ROVERS ’N OUT Corrie veteran fired after 36 years for taking sneaky SELFIE with Andi Peters Arestovych continued: “It burns strongly. Right now. And with this stormy sea it is unknown whether they will be able to receive help. “There are 510 crew members. We don’t understand what happened.” The Moskva – a 600ft, 12,500 tonne cruiser – menacingly stalks the Black Sea and is the flagship of the fleet. It became notorious during the early days of the conflict after the Snake Island battle cry became a war call for Ukrainians. Snake Island is ruled by Ukraine, but it sits just miles from the coast of Romania. The tiny island is strategically important as its fall will allow Russia to claim territorial waters stretching 12 nautical miles out to sea. Russia would be able to cut off key shipping channels – isolating Ukraine from international markets and starving its economy of trade revenues. It comes after dramatic footage emerged of a Russian ship packed with ammo reportedly being blown up. Read More on The Sun bargaining chip Ukraine snatches Putin's pal 'Prince of Darkness' & offers trade for POWs 'not today babe' Rylan in shock feud with I'm A Celeb star as she tells him to 'get real!' Footage shows the landing ship, named Orsk, on fire as black smoke can be seen coming from the port in occupied Berdyansk. While Orsk sank, and ammunition onboard exploded sending black smoke billowing into the sky, another Kremlin Navy ship was damaged.