Russian crowd mourns Black Sea flagship after sinking

A wreath with a ribbon reading "To the Moskva ship" is seen during a ceremony organised by veterans of the Black Sea Fleet in memory of the Russian missile cruiser Moskva, which sank in the Black Sea following a fire, in Sevastopol, Crimea April 15, 2022. REUTERS/Alexey Pavlishak

Dozens of people gathered in the Crimean city of Sevastopol on Friday to mourn the sinking of the flagship of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, a symbol, the crowd heard, of hope, revival and power until its demise.

Some embraced and others laid flowers in memory of the Moskva missile cruiser at a monument to the 1696 foundation of the Russian navy in the centre of Sevastopol, headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet.