Ukraine's 414th Independent Unmanned Systems Brigade reported that the Russian Navy's Baltic Fleet corvette Boikiy caught fire after an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) strike on 3/6.
Accompanying video showed Ukraine launching at least two aircraft at the Boikiy, with the first strike causing a fire on the warship. Satellite images released by Ukrainian military news outlet Militarnyi showed smoke rising from the superstructure. The specific damage to the Russian corvette remains unclear.
The incident occurred while the Boikiy was in dry dock at the Kronstadt naval base near St. Petersburg. The warship had been brought there in February for routine maintenance.
Russia's Ministry of Defense has not yet commented on the information.
Ukrainian media reported the strike took place approximately 1,100 km from Ukraine. Thomas Newdick, a commentator for the US military news outlet War Zone, noted that Ukrainian forces obtaining images from the UAV's sensors at such a distance is remarkable.
"The aircraft could be equipped with a satellite communication system, or an operator might have been present on the ground to assist in targeting. While it is possible the UAV used autonomous guidance, human presence nearby or a satellite link would still be needed to record images from the sensor," Newdick stated.
Another possibility is that Ukraine used short-range unmanned aerial vehicles, similar to "Operation Spiderweb" in June 2025, but Newdick considered this scenario unlikely.
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Satellite image of the Boikiy warship after the attack on 3/6. Photo: Militarnyi |
Ukraine has repeatedly attacked Russia's Black Sea Fleet, but this marks the first reported UAV strike targeting the Baltic Fleet.
Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Force stated that the Boikiy warship had been involved in escorting vessels belonging to Russia's "shadow fleet." This fleet is primarily used by Moscow to export oil globally and circumvent Western sanctions.
The strike on the Kronstadt naval base was part of a Ukrainian UAV attack campaign targeting energy facilities in and around St. Petersburg on the morning of 3/6.
Several long-range UAVs struck oil storage facilities in St. Petersburg, causing large explosions. One of Russia's largest oil depots on the Baltic coast caught fire, sending a column of black smoke high into the sky.
The attacks occurred just hours before international guests were set to attend the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. "The St. Petersburg Forum opened with a beautiful column of black smoke as a backdrop after Ukraine's strike," said Serhiy Sternenko, an advisor to Ukraine's Minister of Defense.
The Boikiy is a small corvette of Project 20380, laid down in 2005 and commissioned 8 years later. The warship has a displacement of 2,200 tons, a maximum speed of 50 km/h, a crew of 100, and can operate continuously for 15 days. The Russian Navy currently operates 9 ships of Project 20380 and its improved version, Project 20381, with 4 of them assigned to the Baltic Fleet.
Pham Giang (According to War Zone, Militarnyi)
