UK intel confirms damage to two Russian frigates in Caspian Sea
At least two Russian Gepard-class frigates were damaged in Kaspiysk as a result of a strike carried out as part of an innovative special operation by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate.
The UK Ministry of Defense reported this in an intelligence update published on X, according to Ukrinform.
"On November 6, 2024, Ukraine almost certainly targeted the Caspian port of Kaspiysk in Russia with an Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV). The port highly likely hosted multiple Russian Navy vessels at the time, with at least two likely Gepard-Class frigates sustaining damage," the ministry said.
It added that the extent of this damage is currently unknown, however any damage to the vessels will highly likely be quickly repaired.
"Russia's Caspian flotilla was probably used for mass attacks on the territory of Ukraine in 2022 and The Russian Caspian Flotilla was likely used to launch mass attacks against Ukraine in 2022 and has continued to be used to launch infrequent attacks through 2023-2024. Ukraine likely attacked the Caspian Flotilla in retaliation for these strikes on its territory," British intelligence said.
The UK Ministry of Defense noted that whilst the current operational tempo in the Black Sea remains low, the attack demonstrates that Ukraine retains the ability to strike Russian targets in areas previously viewed as safe for operations.
"Prior to the strike, the Ukrainian UAV highly likely traversed a large area of Russian territory without being intercepted. This will highly likely cause concern to Russian political and military leaders," the ministry added.
According to media reports, this marked the first time Ukraine's military intelligence struck the Russian flotilla in the Caspian Sea. At least two vessels in Kaspiysk (Dagestan) were damaged by UAV strikes, including the Tatarstan and Dagestan missile ships. It is also likely that small missile ships of Project 21631 were damaged.
Illustrative photo: Wikipedia