A recent attack on russia’s Kaspiysk naval base on the Caspian Sea coast demonstrates Ukraine’s growing capabilities to launch long-range drone strikes. Footage circulating on social media reveals Ukrainian kamikaze drones, likely based on the A-22 light aircraft, targeting heavily fortified russian base. The footage captures intense defensive gunfire from russian soldiers and even a near hit on a vessel, reportedly the Project 1234.1 missile boat.
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Kaspiysk, located over 1,500 kilometers from Ukraine’s border, is a critical asset for russian military. Home to the Caspian Flotilla, it houses five corvettes equipped with the Kalibr cruise missiles, giving it a formidable missile launch capacity of up to 40 missiles. This recent strike appears to be a preventive measure aimed at reducing the threat of these missiles being used against Ukrainian targets.
The Caspian Flotilla has been actively involved in past missile strikes on Ukraine, particularly during early 2022 and more recently in July 2024. However, of the five Kalibr-capable ships, only three Buyan-M corvettes were active in the Caspian before 2022. The others, Karakurt-class corvettes transferred from the Black Sea in early 2024, may not yet be fully operational.
Moreover, Kaspiysk’s location could make it a logistical point for transporting artillery or components for the Shahed drones from Iran to russia. This possibility adds strategic importance to the base and heightens the impact of the strike, even if only a missile boat, rather than a larger corvette or ammunition vessel, was damaged.
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