Another contract serviceman killed in Moskva sinking named

Another contract serviceman killed in the sinking of the Moskva cruiser has been named. It is Chief Petty Officer Afashagov Tahir Zamirovich, born on March 17, 1982. His death was reported on social media by his friend Andrey Puzynin. According to him, Afashagov led five conscripts out of the fire, but could not get out himself.

«The command keeps everything sort of under wraps. We are preparing a letter to Putin and Shoigu. Three children have been left orphans, but they don't care,» said Puzynin.

On the evening of April 13, the Ukrainian side said Neptun missiles had struck the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet. On April 14, the Russian Defense Ministry reported the loss of the Moskva. Shortly before that, the ministry said that «ammunition detonated» on board the cruiser, whereupon a fire broke out.

Initially, the Defense Ministry reported that the entire crew of the cruiser was «evacuated in s timely manner,» but a few days later messages about sailors from the Moskva «missing in action» began surfacing on social media. There were conscripts among those allegedly missing in action. At the moment, the names of two dead and eight missing sailors are known. Nine of them were conscripted in 2021. The Defense Ministry, for its part, acknowledged only one death and reported 27 missing servicemen.

According to the «Agency», conscripts could have accounted for two-thirds of the cruiser's crew. According to rough estimates, there could have been 300 conscripts on the cruiser. However, from the very beginning of the war the Russian party denied that they took part in «military special operation. On March 9, the Defense Ministry admitted this for the first time, stating that some of the conscripts had been taken prisoner.