Russia’s sunken warship dents both its pride and capabilities

It is the only class of ship the Russian navy currently has that fields a long-range air defense system,” said Sidharth Kaushal, research fellow for sea power at the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based think tank. “That matters because for the sort of operation the Black Sea Fleet is designed to do, the Moskva has the capability to sit back and create an air defense for the rest of the fleet, and at the same time provide command and control.”