Russia’s $400 Million Baltic Fleet Corvette Burned Out by Ukraine’s $55,000 Drone

A Ukrainian long-range drone reportedly destroyed Russia’s $400 million Boiky corvette in a dry dock at the Kronstadt Marine Plant, turning one of the Baltic Fleet’s modern warships into a catastrophic loss with a drone worth roughly $55,000, Defense Express reported on June 4.

According to Defense Express, a newly released video from the strike site confirms the most optimistic assessments of the damage: the Project 20380 Boiky corvette suffered critical destruction equivalent to the loss of the ship.

The vessel was hit by Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces on June 3 while it was in dry dock at the Kronstadt Marine Plant near St. Petersburg. Earlier high-resolution satellite imagery had already suggested severe damage, but Defense Express noted that video from the scene removes any remaining doubt.

The footage was reportedly filmed shortly after the strike, before fire hydrants were deployed and firefighting efforts began. That means it captured the ship’s initial damage, which likely worsened as the fire continued.

In the first frames from the site, the ship’s tower-mast structure appears to have collapsed inward into the hull.

Defense Express noted that this structure carries the corvette’s key electronic systems, including the Furke-2 surveillance radar, the Monument-A missile targeting radar, MR-231-2 navigation radars, and the TK-25 electronic warfare system.

The collapse also tore away a panel covering the launchers for Kh-35 anti-ship missiles of the Uran missile system.

The fire was raging inside the compartments behind the bridge, where the combat posts for controlling the ship’s weapons and radio-electronic systems are located, along with the internal components of those systems.

Flames were also visible under the bridge, where crew cabins are located. A section of the hull appeared to have been ripped outward by an internal explosion, with part of the structure bent away from the ship.

Another fire was visible through an open side hatch near the location of the Paket-NK small-size anti-torpedo system, essentially a set of 324mm torpedo tubes.

Defense Express stressed that this area is located close to the engine room, making it highly likely that the fire also reached the ship’s main diesel power plant.

All of this damage was recorded before firefighters began pouring water into the burning ship from four or five hydrants.

Defense Express noted that prolonged high temperatures during a fire weaken metal structures, while large volumes of water used in firefighting accelerate corrosion and further damage onboard systems.

Taking all of these factors together, Defense Express concluded that Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, using a long-range FP-1 drone, moved the Boiky corvette of Russia’s Baltic Fleet into the category of destroyed.

The Boiky is a Project 20380 multipurpose corvette designed for coastal defense, anti-ship warfare, anti-submarine missions, and air defense. Its loss would be a major blow to the Baltic Fleet, especially because the strike hit the ship inside one of Russia’s key naval repair facilities near St. Petersburg.

Earlier, Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces (SBS) struck five vessels in temporarily occupied territories. The vessels were targeted in the ports of Mariupol and Berdiansk, as well as in the coastal waters of the occupied territories.

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