Ukraine Invasion: Ukraine's Defence Minister Oleskii Reznikov mocks Russia after warship sunk

Moskva, a Russian warship has sunken.
Moskva, a Russian warship has sunken. Photo credit: AFP

Ukraine's Defence Minister Oleskii Reznikov has taken a dig at Russia after one of their warships sunk on Thursday (local time).

The Defence Minister tweeted on Friday that the sunken ship is now "a worthy diving site" he looks forward to visiting when the war ends.

"We have one more diving spot in the Black Sea now.

"Will definitely visit the wreck after our victory in the war. BTW, I already have 300 scuba dives."

Moskva, the Russian warship, is believed to have had 500 sailors on board. But they evacuated before it sunk.

Ukraine claims they hit the ship themselves with a missile, but Moscow disputes that.

Moscow said it sunk after a fire broke out on board and during stormy weather while they were trying to tow it to the nearest port.

Russia's defence ministry claimed the fire began due to exploding ammunition, which caused the ship to "lose its balance" as it was being towed to the nearest port.

The 186-metre long vessel has played a key role in the war and came to global attention, when Ukrainian troops on Snake Island told the crew to f**k off, during the early days of the invasion.

On Friday (local time) Moscow which invaded Ukraine because of their ties with Kyiv and NATO, warned of unspecified "consequences" if Finland and Sweden join NATO, a US-led defence alliance.

The two countries are considering joining NATO after Russia’s devastating invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.

In a statement Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said it is up to the authorities of Finland and Sweden.

She also added: "they should understand the consequences of such a step for our bilateral relations and for the architecture of European security as a whole".

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow forces were aiming to "destroy" the region, and Ukraine said the Russian strikes have killed five people in the area.