A Russian missile ship was struck by Ukrainian drones in the Gulf of Finland overnight into Nov 11. The attack was first reported by the Russian Telegram channel Zloy Moryachok (lit. “Angry Little Sailor”) and was later confirmed by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
The vessel targeted was the Naro-Fominsk, classified by the Russian Navy as a “small missile ship,” a category of compact warships equipped with long-range missiles. It was hit during a drone attack on Russia’s Leningrad Region that also sparked a major fire at the port of Ust-Luga and reportedly damaged several Russian helicopters.
The extent of the damage to the vessel is currently unknown. Zloy Moryachok reported that the ship was near Gogland Island — around 180 kilometers west of St. Petersburg — when it was attacked. The channel said the vessel then began heading toward Kronstadt under its own power. And unstated number of people were killed and wounded in the attack, according to the report.
The Naro-Fominsk launched in late 2022, the 11th vessel built under Russia’s Project 21631, known as the Buyan-M class. It can carry Kalibr and Oniks cruise missiles. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Russian forces have repeatedly used missiles of these types to strike Ukraine (typically launching them from the Black Sea and Sea of Azov).
The SBU also confirmed the overnight strike on Ust-Luga, one of Russia’s largest oil-export hubs. Several petroleum-product storage tanks were damaged in the attack.
