An explosion struck a Russian Baltic Fleet warship near Gogland in the Gulf of Finland early Wednesday morning, drawing a confirmed observation from Finnish authorities.
The Security Service of Ukraine reported executing a drone strike against the small missile ship Naro-Fominsk overnight. The vessel belongs to the Buyan-M class and is capable of launching Kalibr and Oniks cruise types.
Estonian Defense Minister Martin Herem told the Estonian broadcaster ERR that the explosion on the Russian warship occurred around 5:30 on Wednesday morning. Herem said that the vessel subsequently departed toward St. Petersburg.
“We have observed the explosion near Gogland,” a high-ranking Finnish official confirmed to Yle Uutiset.
As a precautionary measure, the Finnish Defense Forces implemented temporary restrictions on maritime and air traffic in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland on Wednesday morning following an attack on the Ust-Luga oil terminal in Laukaansaari.
Pro-Ukrainian Telegram channels, including Exilenova+, reported that crew members may have been killed or injured in the strike. Russian social media channels, such as Osvedomitel and Zloi Morjatšok, also cited casualties aboard the corvette, though the extent of personnel losses remains unverified.
Concurrently, Russian military aviation channels on Telegram reported pilot fatalities in the Leningrad region during the Ukrainian drone operation. The Fighterbomber channel, operated by Z-blogger Ilya Tumanov, along with the Na Predele channel, published claims of pilot deaths alongside imagery of a Ka-52 Alligator helicopter.
The Voevoda Veštšajet channel said that three experienced helicopter crews, totaling seven individuals, died during the events. Meanwhile, the Voennyj Osvedomitel channel reported the destruction of one Ka-52 helicopter and potentially one Mi-8, while Osvedomitel cited the loss of three aircraft in total.
Several pro-war Russian bloggers suggested that Russian air defense systems may have mistakenly downed their own helicopters while attempting to intercept the incoming drone strike. The independent investigative outlet The Insider said that Russia has lost at least six Ka-52 helicopters to friendly fire since the start of the full-scale war.
Russian state media outlets focused exclusively on official statements regarding the fire at the Ust-Luga port, reporting three injured port workers and asserting that air defense forces destroyed 627 Ukrainian drones, without mentioning the warship, the aircraft, or military casualties.
