Before it sank, the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet cut a mean figure. At 186 metres, the Moskva was nearly the length of two football pitches. It bristled with sensors, radio jammers and guns.

On March 9, 1862, the Union warship Monitor met its Confederate counterpart, Virginia. After a four-hour exchange of fire, the two fought to a draw. It was the first battle of ironclads. In one day, ...

The sinking of the mighty Moskva is a milestone in naval warfare. In 2019, the commander in chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, was invited to Japan by Admiral Hiroshi Yamamura. The ...

The obsession with Ukraine’s resources, rather than battlefield conditions, has been a problem for both sides throughout the war. Russia’s Black Sea Fleet is one of the most important strategic assets ...

Hundreds of sailors are believed to have died aboard Russian flagship the Moskva after it was sunk by Ukrainian missiles, with reports suggesting that just a few dozen of the 510-strong crew were able ...

THREE YEARS ago The Economist’s defence correspondent was sailing back to Odessa on the Hetman Sahaidachny, then the flagship of Ukraine’s navy. A plaque in its wardroom honoured its former captains.