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Russia Puts Anti-Drone Mesh on Baltic Fleet Warship Amid Fear of Ukrainian Strikes
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The Russian Navy has equipped the Baltic Fleet’s large landing ship Aleksandr Shabalin with anti-drone netting, according to photographs published by military observer Massimo Frantarelli and analyses by Russian military commentators on June 21.
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Images circulating online show sections of green mesh installed around the vessel’s superstructure and deck areas. The ship, a Project 775 (Ropucha-class) landing vessel, was reportedly photographed while escorting the Russian cargo ship Mikhail Britnev in the Baltic Sea.
The Project 775/II Ropucha II-Class landing ship "Aleksandr Shabalin" left the Baltic Sea today.
— Massimo Frantarelli (@MrFrantarelli) June 19, 2026
📸: Frank Behling pic.twitter.com/OC6pKwVO5y
According to Russian military Telegram channel Voenny Osvedomitel, the netting appears intended to provide limited protection against drone attacks.
Assessing the photographs, the channel wrote: “There can be no other purpose for this thin green net. If very lucky, such a net will stop at most an FPV drone, but in no way the heavy FP-2 and their analogues, with which Ukraine strikes ships of the Russian Navy.”
The Aleksandr Shabalin is a Soviet-designed landing ship built to transport troops, armored vehicles, and equipment during amphibious operations. The vessel is approximately 112 meters long, displaces more than 4,000 tons, and is armed with twin 57 mm naval guns and rocket artillery systems.
According to Voenny Osvedomitel, the use of a landing ship as an escort vessel also highlights the limited availability of dedicated escort ships within Russia’s Baltic Fleet. The ship was reportedly accompanying the Russian-flagged cargo vessel Mikhail Britnev, which operates on routes linking Russian Baltic ports.
The installation of anti-drone barriers on Russian naval vessels has become more common since the start of Ukraine’s campaign against Russian maritime assets. Similar protective structures have previously been observed on patrol boats, surface combatants, and submarines across several Russian fleets.
According to Naval News, satellite imagery published in May 2026 showed anti-drone netting installed over Borei-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines at Russia’s Rybachiy naval base in the Pacific, roughly 7,400 kilometers from Ukraine.
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