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Ukraine said it struck the Russian navy’s Naro-Fominsk, a Buyan-M-class small missile corvette, with a drone in the Gulf of Finland, the first known Ukrainian attack on a Russian warship in a Baltic area used by civilian shipping.
"The Finnish Defense Forces detected a strike on a Russian warship in the Gulf of Finland area and has monitored the development of the situation," a Finnish military spokesperson told Reuters, adding that Finland faces no immediate military threat.
Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) said it targeted the ship, which carried Kalibr and Oniks cruise missiles, near Gogland Island, known in Finnish as Suursaari, as part of a broader drone operation against Russia’s Ust-Luga and Primorsk oil ports.
Finnish Brig. Gen. Markku Viitasaari confirmed at least one explosion aboard the ship, Finnish media reported.
The ship was hit around 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, Estonian Defense Minister Martin Herem told public broadcaster ERR.
"We know that smoke came from the ship afterwards. The ship itself went back towards St. Petersburg," he said.
The extent of casualties and damage remains unclear. The Exilenova+ Telegram channel, citing an unnamed source, said some crew members may have been killed or injured, a claim that could not be verified.
There were also unconfirmed reports of Russian combat helicopters being destroyed.
Gogland lies about 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Finland and 55 kilometers north of Estonia. Finland’s Defense Forces imposed temporary restrictions on maritime areas and airspace in the eastern Gulf as a precaution.
"We have told the Ukrainians this time, and a little earlier too, how sensitive this narrow stretch of the Gulf of Finland, right between us and Estonia, is in terms of environmental safety and the safety of civilian shipping,” Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen told Yle.
He said spillover effects stem from Ukraine’s defensive fight and Russia’s war of aggression, and that the Baltic remains safe.
"You can still cruise with peace of mind," he said. Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen also said the situation was stable and safe, with no threat to marine traffic.
The gulf is used by oil tankers and hosts subsea data cables.
"The Baltic Sea fleet has been untouched up to this point but there seemingly was a window of opportunity for Ukraine and they understandably tried to use it," reportedly said analyst Emil Kastehelmi of the Black Bird monitoring group, who did not consider it a serious escalation.
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