The flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet has sunk after an explosion following an onboard fire, the country's Defense Ministry was quoted as saying by the Tass news agency Thursday, in a development that comes ahead of an expected major new offensive in eastern Ukraine.

The ministry said the warship Moskva sustained hull damage, according to the Russian news agency. The ministry's statements came after Ukraine's military said Wednesday it had struck the ship with a Neptune short-range cruise missile.

The warship Moskva, the flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet, is seen anchored in the port of Sevastopol, Crimea, in March 2013. (Kyodo)

The Russian ministry said the ship was being towed to a naval base in nearby Crimea in a stormy weather when it sank and that the incident was being investigated, Tass reported.

The vessel's crew was evacuated to safety before it sank, Tass also quoted the ministry as saying. The ship served as a key command vessel.

The sinking comes as U.S. President Joe Biden said Thursday he is considering sending a high-level official to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

Meanwhile, Dmytro Zhyvytskyy, governor of the Sumy region in northeastern Ukraine, said over 100 civilians had been confirmed dead. He said some of the bodies were discovered with gunshot wounds to the head, bound hands and signs of torture.

Karim Khan, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, said Thursday as he visited Kyiv that he would call on Russia to get involved in the investigation of suspected war crimes.

Russian forces have been trying to take control of the Black Sea region of Ukraine near the Crimean Peninsula which it seized in 2014.


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