Russian state television declared Friday night that its conflict in Ukraine can now "safely be called World War III."
"What it's escalated into can safely be called World War III – that's entirely for sure," Russia 1 television host Olga Skabeyeva said, according to a translation of Friday night’s broadcast by Britain's Metro News. "Now we're definitely fighting against NATO infrastructure, if not NATO itself. We need to recognize that."
The remarks on the Russian state sponsored station come a day after Russia's flagship, the Moskva, sank in the Black Sea on Thursday.
While the Russians claim the sinking was the result of an 'onboard fire that accidentally broke out', U.S. officials confirmed to The New York Times that two Ukrainian Neptune missiles struck the vessel, seen as the pride of the Russian fleet, killing an unknown number of sailors, and sending the vessel to the bottom of the Black Sea.
According to the Times, the Moskva was positioned off the Ukrainian coast and was used to send rockets into Ukrainian cities, hitting apartment buildings and other targets.
Retired military officers told the Times the sinking was a "bold" counterattack and the ship's powerful missile platform is impossible to replace, making it a "grave blow" to Russia’s fleet.
"It was a very impressive ship," retired Rear Adm. Samuel J. Cox, the director of the Naval History and Heritage Command in Washington told the Times. "With those surface-to-surface missile launchers, she really looks dangerous. But apparently, she can't take a punch."
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