NextFin news, Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) carried out a coordinated drone strike on Thursday, August 28, 2025, targeting the Russian small missile ship Buyan-M in the Sea of Azov near the Temryuk Bay area off the coast of temporarily occupied Crimea.
The operation involved two specialized Ukrainian units: the "Ghosts" unit used an aerial drone to disable the ship’s radar system, while another GUR team from the Department of Active Measures struck the hull of the Kalibr cruise missile carrier. This attack caused damage significant enough to force the Russian vessel to withdraw from its combat station, according to the GUR report.
The Buyan-M-class corvettes are known platforms for launching Kalibr cruise missiles, which Russia has used to strike deep into Ukrainian territory from the Black and Azov Seas. Disabling this vessel temporarily reduces the threat of further missile attacks on Ukrainian cities.
Defense Express analysts noted that Ukrainian forces likely used FPV drones, such as Rubaka and/or UJ-26 Bober models, to carry out the strike from a distance exceeding 350 kilometers. This is considered a historic first successful strike on a ship of this class using such drones, demonstrating the growing sophistication of Ukraine’s drone warfare capabilities.
Despite the Russian ship being equipped with air defense systems, including the AK-630M2 Duet artillery system designed to repel aerial attacks, these defenses were not activated during the strike. Video footage showed the Buyan-M actively maneuvering, indicating crew awareness of the threat, yet no countermeasures were employed.
The timing of the strike coincided with one of Russia’s largest missile attacks on Kyiv earlier the same day, which resulted in civilian casualties. Ukrainian officials highlighted the contrast between their use of low-cost drones to target Russian military assets and Russia’s use of expensive ballistic and cruise missiles against civilian areas.
This drone attack follows a series of successful Ukrainian strikes on Russian military infrastructure in Crimea and the Black Sea, aiming to degrade Russia’s naval power and its ability to conduct long-range missile strikes.
Sources: RBC-Ukraine (https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/ukraine-s-main-intelligence-directorate-damages-1756435812.html), Defence Blog (https://defence-blog.com/ukraine-hits-russian-kalibr-carrier-in-azov-sea/)
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