Ukraine has struck another Russian Navy Karakurt Class corvette, an as-yet-unnamed vessel which was hit on May 7 while at sea off its home port of Kaspiysk in Dagestan (northwestern Caspian region). The corvette was hit by a Fire Point FP-2, which was seen approaching its target in a video released by the Ukrainian General Staff.

The strike follows a similar attack on May 3 against vessels alongside in the port of Primorsk, the oil terminal in the Baltic. The targets of this attack included an unidentified Karakurt Class corvette.

The Karakurt Class corvettes are a recently-introduced class of littoral ship, which, despite their 67-meter relatively small size, are equipped with vertically-launched Kalibr or P-800 Oniks anti-ship cruise missiles, which have been used against targets in Ukraine, as well as the Pantsir-M close-in air defense system. The Class has been deliberately designed to be able to navigate Russia’s inland canal system, so can transit from the Baltic, through Lake Lagoda, past Moscow and then via the Volga-Don Canal to the Caspian Sea.

 

Still of the attack on the Karakurt Class corvette released by the Ukrainian General Staff

 

Prior to the strike on May 7, the Caspian Flotilla was believed to have at least two Karakurt Class corvettes on strength: RFS Tucha (804) and RFS Taifun (805), and possibly also RFS Okhotsk (255) and RFS Vikhr (256).

The Ukrainian attack follows earlier strikes in the Caspian Sea on November 6 last year, when the larger Gepard Class missile frigates RFS Tatarstan (F-691) and RFS Dagestan (F-693) were damaged whilst alongside in Kaspiysk. The Ukrainians have also attacked cargo vessels involved in the shipment of missiles and drones between Iran and Russia, latterly hitting the US-sanctioned Ro-Ro cargo vessels MV Kompozitor Rakhmaninov (IMO 8606616) and MV Askar Sarydzha (IMO 9082142) on December 12 last year.  

Traffic on the Russia-Iran route has become even more exposed since an Israeli attack on March 18 destroyed most of the vessels in the Iranian Navy’s Northern Fleet, which makes up the 4th Naval Region. Moudge Class frigate IRINS Deylaman (F78), four Sina Class fast attack craft IRINS Derfash (P223), IRINS Paykan (P224), IRINS Joshan (P225) and IRINS Separ (P234), plus the IRGC Navy’s Nasser Class auxiliary Martyr Basir (117), were the likely casualties.

Whereas some of the previous Ukrainian attacks were on static targets, ships tied up in harbor, attacks that do not require dynamic terminal guidance, the attack on the Karakurt Class corvette on May 7 was attributed to a Firepoint FP-2 drone, which clearly had a live video link and a likely range of at least 1,000 miles. As the supply of war materials between Iran and Russia, probably a two-way traffic, is still vital the war efforts of both countries, Ukraine is likely to maintain pressure on Caspian Sea traffic – to the benefit of all those under attack by Iranian drones and cruise missiles.

 

Top photo of one of the corvettes being launched in 2018 (Russian Ministry of Defense – CC BY 4.0)