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Open-source analysts suggest the “structural core is heavily compromised”.
Modern warfare has changed.
Long-range tech now lets military forces strike deep behind enemy lines, targeting critical assets when they least expect it.
A recent overnight mission shows exactly how vulnerable even the most heavily guarded warships can be during routine upkeep, as a Ukrainian drone strike has left a major Russian naval asset in ruins far from the sounds of active combat.
A heavy blow
The devastating drone attack took place in the quiet morning hours of June 3.
Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces caught the Russian corvette “Boykiy” while it sat completely exposed during routine maintenance inside the Veleshchynskyi Dry Dock.
Robert “Madyar” Brovdi, the commander of the drone forces, confirmed the morning raid. According to United24Media, he stated that operators from the unit’s 1st Center hit the missile corvette at around 6:35 a.m. local time.
Fresh satellite pictures reveal severe structural harm to the prized Russian warship resting inside a dry dock – in fact the vessel looks like a total loss.
Structural core compromised
According to open-source intelligence researcher MT Anderson on X, the ship’s “structural core is heavily compromised.”
Photos from the Kronstadt naval base near St. Petersburg show twisted metal. The heat was clearly intense. Shadows on the ground indicate the main radar deck and mast fell completely inward.
The damage went far beyond the surface. Anderson reported that the strike hit the ship’s vital electronic systems, destroying its air-search radar and electronic warfare gear. Huge fires tore through the lower compartments, warping the exhaust systems.
The expert did not hold back in his final evaluation of the wreckage. He believes the ship is done. “With the composite superstructure collapsing into the main hull and electronics destroyed, Boykiy is likely a total write-off,” Anderson stated.
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Hunting a submarine hunter
Built in 2013, the Boykiy served as a key patrol ship for the Baltic Fleet, hunting submarines and tracking foreign vessels.
Lately, it had been guarding Russia’s shadow fleet of oil tankers passing through the English Channel.
This raid was just one piece of a massive overnight push by Kyiv. Ukraine’s General Staff reported that forces also hit an oil terminal in St. Petersburg, a defense factory in Tambov, and several military sites across occupied Crimea.
