The Neptune: The missiles that struck Russia's flagship, the Moskva

When the flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet, the Moskva, was badly damaged earlier this week, Ukraine immediately claimed that it had struck it with two missiles, and Russia denied it, instead blaming the damage on a fire where ammunition on the ship was stored. While the Moskva was being towed to port, it sank, after it became unstable in stormy conditions because of the damage to the hull, the Russian Defense Ministry told the Russian state news service Tass.

On Friday, a senior U.S. defense official confirmed that the Russian cruiser had been struck by two Neptune anti-ship missiles fired by the Ukrainians from land-based launchers. The Ukrainian-made Neptunes may also be launched from ship or air.

The U.S. military's worldwide equipment guide describes the Neptune as an anti-ship cruise missile with a maximum firing range of 280 kilometers, or about 174 miles. The Russian ship, about 600 feet long, was about 60 kilometers or about 37 miles south of Odesa, which is well within the range of the Neptune, a separate defense official said.