Ukraine hit Karakurt. Russian ship hit in the Caspian Sea

The Ukrainian General Staff reported a nightly attack from 6 to 7 May on the main base point of the Caspian Flotilla in Caspiansk, Dagestan. The impact was carried out using flying unmanned UAV systems, long-range. The target was land objects, but the most important result of the operation was the hit of Russian missile corvette project. 22800 Karakurt.

Karakurt hit on Caspian approach

According to the Ukrainian side, the unmanned system hit a ship that was then in the area of the approach track to Caspian. The unit's names are not given. The recording from the onboard camera, however, shows a figure that is difficult to confuse with another construction. It's a Russian corvette. Karakurt.

The situation of these ships in the Caspian Sea is unusual. Etatowo in the composition of the 106th Water District Conservation Ship Brigade is located Amur (646). Typhoon (648) and Meat (606) are formally part of the Black Sea Fleet, although they operate with Caspian. Amur himself has been in the Baltic since last autumn and is based in Kronsztad, with a painted side number.

The attack was to use a long-range UAV impact Fire Point FP-1. According to the manufacturer's declaration, the machine can damage targets even 1,600 km away and carry a 60 to 120 kg warhead.

Ukraine shortened Russian security map

Stop-frames from the video show an approach to the target and the moment of the hit. The drone likely hit the forward part of the superstructure below the navigating pier. It's a sensitive place. That's where the command elements focus, communication and observation.

So far, there's no reliable information on the damage rate. Project rocket corvettes 22800 Karakurt They have a displacement of about 870 tonnes, so the warship's warhead probably wasn't enough to permanently disengage the ship. However, it could do damage where the ship is most fragile: in radars, antennas, communication systems and electronics. The elements of the Minieral-M complex and equipment located at the main command post could be particularly exposed.

The significance of this attack is greater than the hole itself in the hull or the destroyed antenna, because for years the Caspian Sea was considered in Moscow as a peaceful base of war. Far from the front, far from Ukrainian rockets, far from risk. The Ukrainian drone has shown that this security map has just shrunk.

Karakurts, as well as larger project ships 21631 Bujan-M, are targets for Ukraine first. The reason is simple: they can carry 3M14T Calibr maneuvering missiles, used for hitting targets in the depths of Ukraine. Any hit on a ship like this is not just a tactical success. It's also a signal to Moscow that even Caspian is no longer Out of range.