The Second Western District Military Court of the Russian Federation handed down a verdict in absentia to the commander of the 406th Artillery Brigade named after General Ensign Alexei Almazov of the Ukrainian Naval Forces.

According to the published decision, Colonel Andrei Shubin was found guilty of terrorism for  the sinking of the cruiser “Moscow” and sentenced to life imprisonment.

The verdict, legally worthless for obvious reasons, is notable for several reasons.

Firstly, Russia has officially acknowledged for the first time that on April 13, 2022, the flagship of its Black Sea Fleet did not simply sink to the bottom, but was destroyed by Ukrainian Neptune-class missiles. Ironically, the document claims that the Moskva was carrying out some kind of “humanitarian mission” in the Black Sea. This likely includes missile strikes on peaceful Ukrainian cities and the killing of civilians.

Secondly, for the first time, the Russians have stated the number of casualties in the attack: 20 for sure, with another eight missing, meaning their bodies have still not been found. This figure is likely underestimated, although naval sailors interviewed by Dumskaya believe it is quite realistic:

“Mostly uninhabited compartments and elevators that supplied anti-ship missiles were hit. The ammunition detonated, starting a fire. I believe that people from adjacent compartments and some of the emergency response teams who were fighting to keep the ship safe were killed. The Moskva sank slowly, six hours, and it was possible to rescue the crew, which is why there were only 30 dead, not hundreds. The cruiser’s crew numbered between 500 and 700,” says a Ukrainian Navy officer who wished to remain anonymous.

And the third, and perhaps most important, point. The Russian government considers the attack on a legitimate military target an act of terrorism and is prosecuting Ukrainian soldiers for it. In other words, Russia has clearly decided to withdraw from all conventions that confirm the legality of such actions and is prepared to continue to act in this manner. In other words, it is prosecuting Ukrainians for fighting an aggressor.

“The enemy has always acted like this; we have a ton of similar sentences, but this is perhaps the first time the decision concerns a military man who hit a purely military target, albeit one casuistically labeled ‘humanitarian,'” says Alexander Ivanov, legal commentator for Dumskaya. “You see, they’re blatantly calling a huge, missile-laden ‘aircraft carrier killer,’ a ship capable of carrying nuclear weapons, ‘carrying out humanitarian missions.’ After shelling Odessa with missiles and naval guns. Pure Orwell. But we must restrain our anger and understand why this happened. It’s simple—this is a signal to every Ukrainian soldier or sailor: captivity for you is not just captivity, with all its deprivations. No conventions, no rights, not even the most minimal. To them, all Ukrainian servicemen are terrorists. There will be trials and exorbitant prison terms. Unfortunately, this is reality.”   

Incidentally, the excellent 406th Brigade certainly succumbed to the aggressor’s bloodshed, but it had nothing to do with the sinking of the Moskva. It’s puzzling why Russian military investigators filed materials specifically against it: surely they possess entirely different information. Or do they?

“For three and a half years, a true theater of the absurd has been touring hundreds of pages of specialized forums,” says Dumskaya columnist Alexei Sukhoi.

“It was claimed that the Moskva sank as a result of an accident, such as careless smoking in a munitions storage area. Dozens of supposedly renowned experts debated among themselves, posting drawings and photos of the ship, showing possible fire locations and fire spread patterns. Posts with sober arguments from eyewitnesses or those who knew the true cause of the sinking from the start were simply deleted, and their authors were fined and banned. The court’s decision contains another interesting piece of news, something we hadn’t previously suspected. The official residual value of the sunken flagship is only about $30 million. The court’s text lists the ruble figure—just over 2 billion 233 million rubles—but in dollar terms, it becomes much clearer. It turns out  the cruiser’s “paper” value is comparable to the price of a used F -16 fighter jet. Russians being Russians.”

Authors: Alexey Sukhoi and Viktor Bosnyak

(c)DUMSKAYA. NET 2026