Kiev has also struck St. Petersburg. The drones have traditionally followed the “Baltic Corridor.” They struck targets in Kronstadt and the Kirovsky and Krasnoselsky districts, injuring four people.
Ukrainian media released a video taken by one of the drones. The target was presumably a Project 20380 corvette in dry dock. The video cuts out during the approach, and it is unclear whether the drone actually reached its target.
This is not the first Russian warship that the Ukrainian armed forces have targeted since 2022, and it is interesting to note that Ukrainian forces are not using the standard long-range An-196 “Lyuty” or FirePoint drones to strike such targets. Instead, they use specially modified FP-1/2 drones, equipped with optoelectronic systems and command and control channels.
According to Ukrainian information from the field, StarLink terminals are used for this purpose. These “satellite” UAVs are unique products used by one of the volunteer units of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense’s General Intelligence Directorate, the “Phantoms.” The unit is part of the Active Operations Center of the General Intelligence Directorate and specializes not only in the use of drones, but also in covert attacks on foreign soil. The unit’s commander, Colonel Valentyn Korenchuk, recently received the Hero of Ukraine medal.
The “Phantoms” carry a wide range of unmanned aerial vehicles, from standard FPV drones to specialized drones launched from unmanned vessels and transport platforms. But “satellite” drones are also their trademark. It’s also worth noting that the General Intelligence Directorate recently stopped attributing responsibility for the “Phantom” attacks. The Ukrainian Forces for Unmanned Aerial Systems are now claiming responsibility for these attacks.
The concern now is that drones, like maritime drones, are at risk of going out of control. According to media reports, citing the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, the drone had previously been packed with tens of kilograms of explosives. No one was injured in the explosion.
The drone, in appearance, is very similar to the Sargan model, increasingly frequently sighted in the Black Sea. The drone that exploded near the pier appears to be a Sargan EW, an electronic warfare system, judging by the characteristics of the equipment on the aircraft itself. It is possible that this was precisely what caused the drone’s loss of signal and control. Ukrainian operations have already resulted in drone incidents in the Baltic Sea, and the Turks regularly recover Ukrainian drones on their coasts.
Graziella Giangiulio
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