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Ukrainian Drone Hits Russian Warship in Gulf of Finland in First Such Attack on NATO’s Northern Flank, BBC Reports
By Maya Wilson
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Finnish officials have confirmed that a Russian warship was attacked in the Gulf of Finland on Wednesday, November 11, in what the BBC reports is believed to be the first Ukrainian drone strike against a Russian vessel beyond the Black Sea.
The ship was identified as the Naro-Fominsk by Ukraine’s Security Service, the SBU, according to the BBC. The SBU describes the vessel as a Buyan-M-class small missile corvette carrying Kalibr and Oniks cruise missiles. The Ukrainian security service said it targeted the warship as part of a wider drone operation conducted that night.
The reported attack took place in a narrow international shipping lane between Finland and Estonia, west of St Petersburg, in international waters, the BBC reported. Finnish airspace was not involved. The vessel is believed to have returned towards the port of St Petersburg following the incident, according to the report.
The extent of damage to the Naro-Fominsk remains unknown, as does whether anyone aboard was injured or killed. The BBC reported that Moscow had provided no details and issued no direct statement about the attack.
The strike occurred during a broader Ukrainian drone operation targeting Russian infrastructure. Ukrainian drones also struck the Ust-Luga oil terminal in Russia that night, where storage tanks were hit and fires were visible from Estonia, according to the BBC.
Estonia’s Defence Minister Martin Herem said the drones were active from approximately midnight until 06:00, mostly over the Gulf of Finland. Herem said one drone briefly entered Estonian airspace, the BBC reported.
The operation has raised questions about the risks of drone activity in the narrow waterway. The BBC reported that the attack is thought to mark the first time Ukrainian drones have struck a Russian ship beyond the Black Sea, bringing the conflict’s maritime dimension to NATO’s northern flank. Russia’s Baltic Sea fleet had not previously been struck in this way, according to the report.
Finland’s Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said the situation in the Baltic Sea remained stable and that there was no danger to Finland, the BBC reported. Finnish defence officials have also stressed to Kyiv that the Gulf is a narrow waterway where incidents of this kind could risk provoking a dispute between Russia and NATO.
A separate disagreement has emerged over the use of regional airspace. Moscow alleged that Ukraine had used the airspace of Baltic states during the operation. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhiy Tykhyy rejected that allegation, saying it had no factual basis, according to the BBC.
The attack’s precise consequences for the Russian vessel remain unclear, with no confirmed damage assessment or casualty figures available.
Maya Wilson
World Desk Lead, The Library Media
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