On the night of March 25, Ukrainian forces carried out a drone strike on russia's Leningrad region. One of the targets was the Ust-Luga oil port. By morning, it also became clear that a vessel had been hit at the Vyborg Shipyard in the city of Vyborg, nearly 1,000 km from Ukraine's border.
The vessel was identified as the Project 23550 patrol icebreaker Purga, operated by the Coast Guard of russia's Federal Security Service (FSB). This was later confirmed by Ukraine's General Staff.
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At the time of the strike, Purga was undergoing post-launch outfitting following its launch in 2022. It was scheduled for further completion at the Admiralty Shipyards, part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation.
Based on available imagery, the strike appears to have hit near the waterline. The vessel suffered heavy flooding and likely settled on the bottom, reportedly leaning against the nearby Project 22011 Vice-Admiral Burilichev oceanographic vessel, which was also under construction.
In terms of capabilities, Purga is equipped with a 76 mm AK-176MA naval gun and two 30 mm AK-630M close-in weapon systems. It is also designed to carry two containerized Kalibr-K launchers, which together could accommodate up to eight Kalibr cruise missiles or eight Kh-35 anti-ship missiles.
However, the use of Kalibr missiles depends on the availability of the Kalibr-K container system rather than fixed vertical launch cells. The production status of this system remains unclear.
The vessel also features a helicopter landing pad and a hangar for a Ka-27 helicopter. In addition, it can carry several boats and air-cushion landing craft.
With a full displacement of 8,500 tons, a length of 114.5 meters, a beam of 19.5 meters, a top speed of up to 18 knots, and a crew of around 60, Purga is a sizable vessel. This suggests that the drone used in the strike carried a relatively powerful warhead and achieved sufficient accuracy to hit a vulnerable point near the waterline.
It cannot be ruled out that the strike involved a modified light aircraft-type UAV, possibly based on the A-22 platform, as such drones were reportedly observed over the Leningrad region during the attack.
At present, no further details about the strike have been released. Additional information, including clearer imagery of the impact site, will be needed to assess the extent of the damage.
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