Ukraine Takes Russia’s Kalibr Corvette Out of Action in Bold Azov Sea Operation, Video

Ukraine’s military intelligence service (HUR) struck a Russian warship armed with Kalibr cruise missiles in the Azov Sea on August 28, forcing the vessel to retreat from combat duty.

According to the agency, the operation was carried out jointly by HUR’s Department of Active Operations and its special forces unit known as the “Ghosts.” The target was a Project 21631 Buyan-M missile corvette, one of Russia’s Kalibr carriers, operating near the coast of Russian-occupied Crimea.

HUR said the attack unfolded in two stages: first, the Ghosts unit used an aerial drone strike to disable the ship’s radar system.

Then, operators from the Department of Active Operations followed up with direct fire on the vessel itself.

“As a result of the strikes, the Russian missile ship, which was within range to potentially launch Kalibr from the Temryuk Bay area, sustained damage and was forced to abandon its patrol zone,” the statement read.

The Buyan-M class is among the Kremlin’s most widely used platforms for launching Kalibr cruise missiles against Ukrainian cities, making its temporary withdrawal a notable setback for Moscow’s Black Sea and Azov Sea presence.

Earlier, a newly built Russian Navy tugboat, Kapitan Ushakov (Project 23470), sank on August 9 near the pier of the Baltic Shipyard in St. Petersburg during final outfitting works.

The incident occurred in the evening of August 8 when the vessel developed a list to starboard. Emergency services and shipyard personnel attempted to stabilize the tug throughout the night but were unable to prevent it from capsizing. By morning, the vessel had settled on the bottom alongside the pier.

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