ISW analyses Ukrainian drone strike on Russian ships in Caspian Sea

Experts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) have suggested which Russian missile ships and corvettes in the city of Kaspiysk (Dagestan Republic, Russia) could have been damaged by Ukrainian drones on 6 November.

Source: ISW

Details: Ukrainian forces reportedly conducted their first strike on a Russian naval base in Kaspiysk, Dagestan, on 6 November, damaging several missile ships of Russia's Caspian Sea Flotilla. 

Ukrainian media, referencing Ukraine’s military intelligence, stated that Ukrainian drones targeted a naval base, damaging the Tatarstan and the Dagestan Gepard-class frigates and possibly impacting several nearby Buyan-class corvettes.

Sergei Melikov, Head of Republic of Dagestan, asserted on 6 November that Russian forces shot down a Ukrainian drone over Kaspiysk without providing specific details on the aftermath.

Satellite imagery from 6 November shows three likely Russian Buyan-class vessels, two likely Buyan-M-class vessels, one likely Tarantul-class vessel, one likely Gepard-class vessel, and one likely Karakurt-class vessel present at the Kaspiysk port on the day of the strike, though the images do not confirm damage to the ships or piers. 

Satellite footage posted on 6 November displays drones striking near port infrastructure in Kaspiysk.

To quote the ISW’s Key Takeaways on 6 November:

• Ukrainian forces reportedly struck a Russian naval base in Kaspiysk, Republic of Dagestan for the first time on 6 November damaging several missile ships of the Russia Caspian Sea Flotilla.
• Ukrainian authorities reported that Russian forces executed at least 109 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) since the start of the full-scale invasion amid new reports of Russian executions of Ukrainian POWs.
• Russian forces recently advanced in the Kupiansk, Svatove, Pokrovsk, Kurakhove, and Vuhledar fronts.
• A prominent Russian brigade commander and official indicated that Russian commanders and civilian leadership explicitly view Russian military volunteers as expendable resources, consistent with high casualty rates across the line of contact.

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