Battleship in court. Deleted court statement acknowledges cruiser Moskva was hit by missiles and reveals casualty figures

A Moscow military court has sentenced a Ukrainian commander to life in prison in absentia for the 2022 sinking of the Black Sea Fleet’s flagship, Moskva. In doing so, the court’s official press release—which was later deleted—admitted for the first time that the vessel was destroyed by a missile strike.

The 2nd Western District Military Court in Moscow handed down the sentence to Colonel Andrey Shubin, commander of the Ukrainian Navy’s 406th Artillery Brigade. Shubin was convicted of “international terrorism” for his alleged role in the destruction of the cruiser Moskva and an attack on the frigate Admiral Essen.

While the court’s press office removed the announcement shortly after publication, the text was preserved by Mediazona.

Ukrainian Navy colonel sentenced to life in absentia for strike on cruiser Moskva

The 2nd Western District Military Court has, in absentia, rendered a verdict against Andrey Shubin, commander of military unit A-2062, the 406th Separate Artillery Brigade of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who on April 2 and April 13, 2022, issued orders to his subordinates to carry out missile strikes against the frigate Admiral Essen and the Guards Missile Cruiser Moskva, which were performing humanitarian missions in neutral waters of the Black Sea to ensure the safety of civilian shipping and to guard the gas production facility “Odesskoye.”

As a result of the missile strike carried out on April 2 , 2022, the frigate Admiral Essen sustained damage and one member of its crew was wounded. On April 13, 2022, a missile strike using two missiles was carried out against the Guards Missile Cruiser Moskva, as a result of whose explosions a fire broke out on the vessel accompanied by smoke filling the internal compartments. As a consequence of the explosions, fire, and smoke inhalation, 20 members of the cruiser’s crew died, 24 crew members sustained bodily injuries of varying severity, and eight persons went missing, including during efforts to preserve the ship’s survival, which lasted more than six hours.

At the same time, the emergency response team and the remaining crew members were unable to save the Guards Missile Cruiser Moskva, and it perished together with the material assets located on board. The aforementioned vessels and their crews were not involved in the special military operation.

During the judicial investigation, testimony of surviving crew members and relatives of the deceased was examined, one of whom was questioned in court; official documentation and the results of numerous expert examinations were studied; and a representative of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation was heard, who substantiated and supported the ministry’s civil claim. In particular, an interview of the Commander of the Naval Forces of Ukraine was examined, confirming the fact of a missile strike against the Guards Missile Cruiser Moskva.

Based on the results of the judicial proceedings, the court concluded that Shubin’s guilt in committing the crime provided for in Part 3 of Article 361 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation had been proven, namely: the commission, outside the territory of the Russian Federation, of explosions and arson endangering the life, health, and inviolability of citizens of the Russian Federation, for the purpose of disrupting the peaceful coexistence of states and peoples and directed against the interests of the Russian Federation, resulting in the death of a person—that is, the commission of an act of international terrorism. The court sentenced him to punishment in the form of life imprisonment, with the first 10 years to be served in prison and the remaining part of the sentence in a special-regime penal colony. The court also ordered recovery from Shubin, in favor of the Ministry of Defense of Russia, of 2,233,307,584 rubles 88 kopecks as compensation for property damage.

The ruling marks a significant departure from the long-standing official narrative: after the strike Russia’s MoD maintained that the Moskva had suffered a fire which led to an accidental ammunition explosion. Ukrainian officials, however, have always maintained that the ship was struck by two Neptune anti-ship missiles.

The deleted statement provides a rare breakdown of the human cost that Moscow seeks to downplay amid wartime: 20 crew members died from the explosion, fire, and smoke, further 24 crew members sustained injuries and eight went missing “including during efforts to preserve the ship’s survival, which lasted more than six hours.” One sailor was wounded in the earlier attack on the Admiral Essen.