The Russian Navy warship that led the famous attack on Snake Island against Ukrainian soldiers was struck by missiles, forcing hundreds of sailors aboard the Moskva to abandon ship.

Both Ukrainian and Russian officials noted the attack, with Russia admitting only a fire that forced the crew to flee.

“As a result of a fire, ammunition detonated” aboard the cruiser, leading the crew to evacuate the “seriously damaged” ship, said the Russian Defense Ministry, according to an English translation of a Russian state-run TASS report, the Washington Examiner reported.

“This is a huge blow to the Russian Navy, to the Russian military in this campaign here against Ukraine,” CNN reporter Fred Pleitgen said.

“Obviously their Black Sea fleet flagship had… been hit by a country that currently doesn’t operate a navy in this conflict. So, you know, this is a big admission for the Russians to make, and they’re not coming forward with all the details.”

‘Huge blow’: Crew evacuates ‘seriously damaged’ Russian flagship https://t.co/CRth4OWj5X (via @Newsfusion #Push)

— PedroConrado Richter (@pedrorichter) April 14, 2022

The new victory will add new energy to Ukraine’s strong resistance effort as it marks a retaliation for the attack on Snake Island and continues to force Russian forces to flee.