The sinking of the guided-missile cruiser "Moscow" will indeed have a major impact on the morale of the Russian army, which should be regarded as the largest single loss on the Russian side since the beginning of the war between Russia and Ukraine. Admiral Yevmenov, commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy, and officials of the Black Sea Fleet Command said in a meeting with the surviving crew of the Moscow that naval officers, warrant officers and contract soldiers will continue to serve in the Navy, and the tradition of the moscow guided missile cruiser will be cherished and continued.
Although the flagship sank, but the formation of the Black Sea Fleet is still there, other ships still have to continue to undertake the corresponding combat tasks, then, which type of warship to take over as the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet is also a problem that the Russian Navy must consider next. The new flagship will undoubtedly be produced in the following three ways.
Selected from the Black Sea Fleet
With the retirement of the large anti-submarine cruiser Kerch and the sinking of the flagship Moscow, the Black Sea Fleet no longer had a 10,000-ton capital ship. At present, the most advanced warships in the fleet are the 11356R frigates, which have a full load displacement of about 4,000 tons, have strong anti-ship, air defense and anti-submarine capabilities, and the comprehensive combat capability should be similar to the mainland's 054A type missile frigates. In fact, this type of frigate is an export-to-domestic model, and its engine uses the Ukrainian DT-59 gas turbine. There is no precedent in the Russian Navy for the use of frigates as flagships, and the warship was not designed to be used as the flagship of a formation or even a fleet. Therefore, the author believes that the possibility of selecting a flagship from the several existing warships of the Current Black Sea Fleet is not very likely, and if there is, it is also the role of "temporary worker".
Redeployment from other fleets
The sister ships of the same Honor class as the Moscow currently have only two ships left in the Russian Navy, namely the Varyag belonging to the Pacific Fleet and the Marshal Ustinov of the Northern Fleet. The Varyag is the flagship of the Pacific Fleet, and the possibility of going to the Black Sea is almost impossible, after all, the Pacific Fleet's family foundation is not very solid. Although the Northern Fleet has the "Peter the Great" as the flagship, the Northern Fleet may still have an aircraft carrier battle group in the future, as the main battleship, the "Marshal Ustinov" also has to act as the guardian of the aircraft carrier formation, so it is unlikely that it will be transferred to the Black Sea Fleet as the flagship. Moreover, these two "Glorious Class" ships are also the masters who are about to die, and they are tossing and turning.
Wait for the new ship
Now, the Russian Navy also has a large and useful main battleship, that is, the "Kirov" class "Admiral Nakhimov" nuclear-powered cruiser, which is expected to return to the navy within a year or two after nearly 10 years of repairs. The modified "Admiral Nakhimov" nuclear-powered cruiser can launch long-range anti-submarine and anti-ship cruise missiles such as "caliber" and "onyx", and will also carry "zircon" hypersonic missiles, and the shipboard radar will also be replaced by a small shield of the same type as 22350, plus a displacement of more than 20,000 tons, and the combat effectiveness is amazing.
However, the Peter the Great is also in urgent need of maintenance and upgrades, so admiral Nakhimov may take over the former's flagship of the Northern Fleet after being listed. With the efficiency of Russian shipyards, the Peter the Great could not be repaired in five or six years. Therefore, for Russia, a more reliable option is to wait for the Type 22350 frigate, although the tonnage is only half of the "Moscow", the flagship is slightly shabby, but both the firepower and the situational awareness ability are greatly enhanced. The second option is to wait for the "Peter the Great" to be repaired, but this can wait.
However, it seems too far to talk about this now, because Russia and Ukraine are currently at war, and all warships are not allowed to enter the Black Sea through the Turkish Strait. The Russian-Ukrainian conflict seems to be on the signs of a prolonged war, so the Type 11356R frigate may have to be a cameo flagship for a long time.