There appears to be only one confirmed death from the Moskva. The wife of sailor Ivan Vakhrushev said on Sunday that the ship’s commanders had officially informed her of her husband’s death, but said they gave no details.

A channel on the Telegram messaging app that is believed to be linked to Russian security agencies on Monday released what appears to be photos of the Moskva on fire before it sank.

The photos, taken from another ship nearby, show the giant vessel tilted to the side, with black plumes of smoke rising over its rear. The lifeboats appear to have been deployed, and there do not seem to be any personnel on the deck.

The loss of the Moskva, one of the Russian Navy’s three missile cruiser vessels of this type, could pose a serious challenge to Russia’s plans to hold ground in southern Ukraine and potentially attack the Black Sea port of Odesa.

The ship was involved in the operation against Ukraine’s Snake Island, in the Black Sea, in the first days of the war. When it called on Ukrainian soldiers to surrender, it received the reply: “Russian warship, go f— yourself.”