Ukraine Claims To Damage Russian Ship In Baltic
By RFE RL
(RFE/RL) — Ukraine’s military intelligence have carried out a special operation that damaged a Russian warship docked off the exclave of Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea, which, if true, would demonstrate Kyiv’s increasing ability to hit Kremlin assets far beyond its borders.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Ukrainian military intelligence said a fire inside the Serphukov missile corvette had completely destroyed its means of communications and automation.
It gave no information about who started the fire and how or whether anyone was injured. Experts said the video appeared to indicate sabotage from inside the ship.
The Kyiv Post and Kyiv Independent both reported that Ukrainian military intelligence was behind the attack, citing unidentified sources.
RFE/RL could not immediately confirm the attack. Russian state media has been silent on the matter.
The Serphukov, belonging to the Buyan-M series, was commissioned in 2015.
The attack is the latest by Ukraine against a Russian warship and the first in the Baltic Sea. Due to its location, the attack is likely to have more of a psychological impact than any impact on the course of the war.
Ukraine has hit nearly two dozen Russian warships and other Russian vessels in the Black Sea since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion in February 2024, killing possibly hundreds of sailors.
Russia has rarely released any information about the sinkings and death toll.
Since the start of 2024, Ukraine has stepped up attacks deep inside Russia with long-range drones. Ukraine earlier this month hit a drone factory in Russia’s Tatarstan region, about 1,200 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
