To put things in perspective, this was the only capital ship being operated in the Black Sea (by any navy). Russia is the only Black sea power that fields cruis

To put things in perspective, this was the only capital ship being operated in the Black Sea (by any navy). Russia is the only Black sea power that fields cruisers (or even destroyers), and the only warships they now have officially on duty in the Black Sea are frigates or smaller. In terms of capital ships, this leaves them with one battlecruiser and two cruisers in operational condition, none of which have access to the Black Sea. (Their sole aircraft carrier is under repairs). The only other loss of a warship of comparable size in combat since WW2 was the ARA General Belgrano, a slightly smaller cruiser sunk by a British sub in 1982. Losing a surface ship to enemy action is just not common these days. For a little more context, the only currently commissioned US naval vessel to have sunk an enemy ship is the USS Constitution, which sank the HMS Java (and more famously the HMS Guerriere) in 1812.