Russian Warship Attacked in Gulf of Finland

A Russian warship has been attacked in the Gulf of Finland, Finnish officials confirmed on Wednesday, although details about the strike are scarce at this point.

Ukraine's SBU security service has claimed responsibility for targeting the ship Naro-Fominsk as part of a broader drone operation against Russia's Ust-Luga oil export depot on the Baltic coast. According to reports, the depot is a crucial site for Russia's oil exports. The attack appears to be a significant escalation in Ukraine's military campaign.

The incident has raised questions about whether Ukraine could expand its strikes into areas previously considered off-limits. This includes targeting Russian ships in waters open to civilian maritime traffic, such as the Baltic Sea.

Finnish officials have described the attack as a direct result of Russia's ongoing full-scale war against Ukraine. Finland has been one of Kyiv's closest European allies throughout the conflict.

The details of the attack remain shrouded in mystery, but Ukraine's SBU has identified the targeted vessel as a Buyan-M type small corvette, capable of carrying Kalibr and Oniks cruise missiles.

Unconfirmed reports also suggest that Russian combat helicopters were destroyed in the strike, although this information is yet to be verified. The incident has sparked speculation about the potential consequences for Russia's naval capabilities in the region.

Estonia's Defence Minister Martin Herem revealed that the ship was hit at around 05:30 on Wednesday, but refused to disclose the method of attack, stating only that smoke emanated from the vessel afterwards and it subsequently headed back towards St Petersburg.

Military analyst Emil Kastehelmi believes that Ukraine took advantage of a rare window of opportunity to strike the Russian navy ship, which had previously gone unscathed.

Fires at a major Russian port in the Gulf of Finland have been sparked by Ukrainian drone attacks, which also targeted storage tanks at the Ust-Luga terminal.

According to Herem, the Ukrainian drones launched their assault on the Ust-Luga region from midnight until around 06:00, primarily flying close to Estonia's border but remaining within Russian airspace. However, one drone did briefly enter Estonian airspace before heading towards Russia, he said.

The presence of Nato aircraft in the area at the time made it too risky for them to engage with and destroy the drones, Herem explained.

Incidents like these can occur when Russia uses electronic warfare to divert Ukrainian drones from its airspace, acknowledged Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Heorhiy Tykhyy.