Finnish officials have confirmed that a Russian warship located in the Gulf of Finland was attacked on the 11th of November, though few details regarding the strike are currently known, reports the BBC.The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) stated that the vessel Naro-Fominsk was targeted as part of a broader operation directed at the Russian oil export port of Ust-Luga on the Baltic Sea coast. This attack—believed to be the first instance of Ukrainian drones striking a Russian vessel in the Baltic Sea, a body of water also used for civilian maritime traffic—has raised questions about whether Ukraine should expand the geographical scope of its strikes.Finland is one of Ukraine’s closest allies in Europe, and Finnish officials have described the incident as a direct consequence of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. While the Finnish military has not provided extensive details about the attack, it appears to have taken place in a narrow section of the Baltic Sea. Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen maintains that the situation in the Baltic Sea remains stable and secure, and that there is no threat to maritime traffic. It is understood that Finnish defense officials have reminded Kyiv that the Gulf of Finland is a relatively narrow waterway used by both oil tankers and civilian vessels, and that it also contains subsea communication cables.The SBU described the Russian vessel as a small Buyan-M class corvette, equipped with Kalibr and Oniks missiles. There have also been unconfirmed reports regarding the destruction of Russian combat helicopters.Estonian Minister of Defence Martin Herem informed Estonian public media that the vessel was struck around 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday, the 11th of November, though he did not disclose the details of the attack. It is reported that smoke was seen rising from the ship, which subsequently headed back toward St. Petersburg. The extent of the damage to the vessel remains unknown, and Moscow typically does not release such information.Emil Kastehelmi, a military analyst and co-founder of the observer group “Black Bird,” noted that the Russian Baltic Fleet had remained untouched until now; however, the Ukrainians identified an opportunity and, understandably, chose to seize it. Russian and Ukrainian vessels frequently target one another in the Black Sea; however, while an attack on a ship in the Baltic Sea had not occurred previously, Kastehelmi noted that he does not consider this a serious escalation.Ukrainian drones launched from the northern part of Ukraine are regularly directed toward Russian territory. On Wednesday night, they struck several storage tanks in Ust-Luga, and flames from the burning port were visible even from Estonia. Herem stated that the Ukrainians carried out attacks on the Russian port between midnight and approximately 6:00 a.m., flying mostly close to the border of Estonian airspace while remaining on the Russian side. He added that one of the drones briefly entered Estonian airspace from the direction of Latvia before continuing its path into Russia. NATO fighter jets were scrambled, but Herem noted that shooting down the drones would not have been safe.Heorhiy Tykhyy, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that Moscow’s accusations—that Kyiv is using the airspace of the Baltic states to attack Russia—are unfounded. He did, however, acknowledge that situations can arise where drones deviate from their course due to Russian electronic warfare.
Ukrainian drone strikes Russian warship in the Gulf of Finland
