A number of Russia’s main TV channels all avoided any reference to the Russian flagship which was reportedly destroyed by Ukraine.
State-run Rossiya 1, state-controlled Channel One and Gazprom-Media's NTV all kept silent on the Ukraine attack which crippled the Moskva missile cruiser, said BBC Monitoring.
So did rolling state news channel Rossiya 24.
The website of the Defence Ministry's Zvezda TV, which has thus far provided in-depth coverage of the war, also made no mention of the attack.
Given that Russian state media has parroted the Kremlin's lines throughout the war so far, the silence over Ukraine's claims could suggest a media blackout as Putin's cronies scramble to block any reference to the latest Russian failure.
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Or it could suggest Russian authorities were slow to give the official line to take on the disaster.
The Russian flagship in the Black Sea was severely damaged after it was hit by missiles, Ukrainian officials reported this morning.
Unconfirmed reports say 300 Russian sailors who were aboard may have died.
The Kremlin claimed that the Moskva missile cruiser was seriously damaged after ammunition stocks on board blew up.
The Telegram channel, Ishchi Svoikh, which was set up by the Ukrainian Interior Ministry to tell the relatives of the Russian military about their troops, reported the cruiser sank at roughly 3am local time.
Shortly before that, the Russian Ministry of Defence claimed the crew had evacuated but Ukrainian officials say that is "far from being the case."
A Ukrainian official said the missile attack was the biggest blow to the Russian navy since World War 2.
Experts have suggested the fact that Russia's flagship in the Black Sea, a ship called 'Moscow', was so badly damaged, raises more questions about Russia's preparedness and military acumen.
Russia ’s defence ministry has now said an operation is underway to tow the crippled ship back to shore.
Even after admitting they were towing the badly damaged ship, Russia refused to acknowledge the ship had been attacked.
The attack is a major blow to Russia on the 50th day of its war in Ukraine as it readies its troops for a fresh assault in the eastern Donbas region.
So far, its naval efforts have been crucial to supporting its operations in the south of Ukraine, such as in the ongoing fierce fighting around the port of Mariupol.
If taken, it would be the first major Ukrainian city to fall and would allow Russia to seize a land corridor between separatist-held eastern regions and the Crimea.
This would stabilise its army’s position and allow it to free up troops for engagements elsewhere.
Russian news agencies said the Moskva, commissioned in 1983, was armed with 16 anti-ship Vulkan cruise missiles with a range of at least 700 km (440 miles).
The Moskva featured in an early landmark of the war, where it ordered Ukrainian border guards to surrender on Snake Island before being told to “Go f*** yourself!”.
This comes after Russian forces pulled back from areas of northern Ukraine after suffering continued heavy loss and failing to take the capital Kyiv.
Ukraine and its Western allies have said that Putin is preparing for a new offensive.
"Russian forces are increasing their activities on the southern and eastern fronts, attempting to avenge their defeats," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a Wednesday night video address.
Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar said in televised comments on Thursday that Russia was massing troops not only along the Russia-Ukraine border, but also in Belarus and Moldova's breakaway Transdniestria region.
