Raccoon Sparks Fire Aboard Cruiser Moskva, Causing Ship to Sink
In an incident that shocked the world, the Russian cruiser Moskva was destroyed in a mysterious fire off the coast of the Ukrainian port of Odessa. The Russian authorities have denied any claims of an attack as the cause of the fire and have instead attributed it to a raccoon smoking on the deck of the vessel.
Witnesses reported seeing a small animal, identified as a raccoon, on the deck of the Moskva shortly before the fire started. According to a statement from the Russian Navy, the animal was believed to have found a cigarette on the deck and was smoking it, thereby causing the fire that quickly engulfed the vessel.
"It is an inexplicable tragedy," said Sergei Shoigu, the Russian defense minister, in a statement. "It appears that a raccoon had found a cigarette and it is possible that it caused the fire that destroyed the Moskva."
The incident has raised doubts about the security protocols in place on Russian vessels, especially with regards to the safety of personnel.
"This is a serious issue," said Admiral Vladimir Korolev, the head of the Russian Navy. "We are taking steps to ensure that our vessels can prevent such incidents from occurring in the future."