The Moskva sank in April 2022 after Ukrainian forces hit it with two missiles in what was widely reported as an enormous and unexpected military achievement in the early days of Russia’s all-out invasion.

The Russian government has never admitted that the flagship was struck with missiles, instead saying only that it was disabled by a munitions explosion caused by a fire and that it then sank in stormy seas while being towed to port for repairs.

However, a Russian military court last week published a press release on its website which reported that a senior Ukrainian Navy officer had been convicted in absentia on terrorism charges in relation to the sinking.

The court sentenced Andriy Shubin to life imprisonment and ordered Ukraine to pay 2.2 billion rubles (around €24.4 million or £21.2 million) in compensation to Russia.

The press release for the first time confirmed that the Moskva was struck by missiles and included a breakdown of casualties, stating that 20 crew members were confirmed killed, 24 were injured and eight remain missing.

The court deleted the press release shortly after publication, but its contents were shared by Russian dissident news website Mediazone and have circulated worldwide.