On Wednesday, 13 May 2026, the Media Center of the State Enterprise ‘Directorate-General for Rendering Services to Diplomatic Missions’ hosted the presentation of the English-language book by Andrii Bulavin and Oleksandr Chudnovets, Hunting for the Cruiser “Moskva”. Events, Versions, Investigations.
The event was organised by the Kyiv Military Historical Society public organisation and ADEF-Ukraine publishing house, with organisational support from the State Enterprise ‘Directorate-General for Rendering Services to Diplomatic Missions’.
The presented publication is dedicated to one of the most significant events of the russian-Ukrainian War: the sinking of the russian missile cruiser Moskva, which served as the flagship of the russian Black Sea Fleet. In this publication, the authors examine the Project 1164 missile cruiser Moskva, including its design, construction, combat capabilities, service record, and ultimate fate. They also analyse various versions of the events and the investigations conducted by both Ukraine and the opposing side. Particular attention is given to the symbolic significance of this event: Ukraine — despite lacking a large naval fleet compared to russia — demonstrated its ability to confront a powerful military machine on equal terms by delivering a devastating blow to one of the main symbols of russian military might. The book will serve as a valuable resource for military personnel, historians, strategists, and analysts, as well as anyone seeking to deeply understand contemporary Ukrainian history and the phenomenon of Ukrainian resistance.
The event, which ran in a hybrid format, both offline and online, was attended by Ukrainian and foreign diplomats, academics, and students.
The presentation was opened with introductory remarks by the book’s co-author, Oleksandr Chudnovets, a naval serviceman, military historian, and chairman of the board of Kyiv Military Historical Society public organisation; author and co-author of Chronicle of the War in the Azov and Black Sea Operational Zones. February–December 2022, Chronicle of the War in the Azov and Black Sea Operational Zones. 2023, Dnipro River Monitors of the Zheleznyakov Class, Project SB-37, and numerous monographs and articles on military history. He expressed gratitude to everyone who contributed to the publication, including for their support and direct involvement. He also spoke about the success of the first Ukrainian-language edition, the prerequisites for creating the book, its uniqueness, and its importance in professional military literature.
‘In this book, we sought to convey to the general public how the events unfolded […]. The publication is written based on open sources. To write it, Andrii and I personally travelled to Mykolaiv, visited the cruiser Ukraina, and walked entirely through it in 5 hours. […] Based on the collected and analysed information, we presented our author’s version, and it is quite interesting, which was confirmed by professional experts,’ noted Oleksandr Chudnovets.
In turn, Andrii Bulavin, military veteran, reserve colonel, military historian, and member of the board of the Kyiv Military Historical Society public organisation, spoke in detail about the Ukrainian Neptune missile system. He emphasised that Ukraine independently developed and mass-produces not only the missiles but the entire system — from reconnaissance assets to command and guidance vehicles. The expert highlighted the high technological level of Ukrainian defence manufacturing, noting that few countries worldwide are capable of developing such systems. A significant part of his speech was dedicated to the destruction of the russian cruiser Moskva: the speaker asserted that the strike was a real combat launch of Ukrainian missiles, rather than an accident or a ‘fake’ as russian propaganda attempted to present it. He also explained how the russian side spread contradictory versions of events to hide the truth about the loss of the Black Sea Fleet’s flagship.
‘They cannot admit that Ukrainian missiles destroyed the cruiser Moskva,’ summarised Andrii Bulavin.
Mark Montgomery, retired Rear Admiral of the United States Navy, military strategist, and cybersecurity expert, noted in his speech that the sinking of the cruiser Moskva and the history of the Ukrainian Neptune missile will have significance far beyond this war. He emphasised that this case will serve as an example of how asymmetric warfare and technological ingenuity can change the course of modern naval conflicts. The expert specifically highlighted Ukraine’s role in developing its own weapons and training specialists, which enabled it to achieve a result that had previously seemed highly unlikely. Mr Montgomery commended the work of the book’s authors, who thoroughly reconstructed the events of April 2022 and exposed russian disinformation regarding the ship’s sinking. Concluding his speech, the military strategist added:
‘To me, the Moskva sits at the bottom of the Black Sea because Ukrainian ingenuity put it there.’
As part of the event, in accordance with the decision of the Kyiv Military Historical Society public organisation, Mark Montgomery, retired Rear Admiral of the United States Navy, military strategist, and cybersecurity expert, was awarded a medal for his significant personal contribution to strengthening international naval cooperation, his high professionalism, and his support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
Subsequently, a discussion took place, during which attendees congratulated the authors and shared their impressions of the publication.
