Drone-damaged Russian corvette Boykiy unlikely to return to sea for several months – expert

This assessment was made by Andrii Ryzhenko, a reserve Navy captain first rank and former deputy chief of staff of the Ukrainian Navy (2004–2020), during a broadcast on Ukrainian Radio, Ukrinform reports.

According to Ryzhenko, the 13-year-old corvette was in a dry dock in Kronstadt when it was struck.

“The ship was not destroyed, but the damage will delay its return to operational service for at least several months,” the expert said.

He added that Project 20380 corvettes are designed for operations in the near-sea zone and are currently used by Russia for missions including patrol duties and escorting vessels belonging to the so-called shadow fleet.

In Ryzhenko’s view, the strikes on targets in Russia’s Leningrad region, including Kronstadt and the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal, also had a psychological impact. They demonstrated the ability of Ukraine’s Security and Defense Forces to penetrate Russia’s multilayered air defense system and strike important military facilities.

“I believe Ukraine’s Security and Defense Forces will conduct a detailed analysis so that such operations can continue, with the goal of weakening the enemy’s combat capabilities and its ability to escort and patrol shadow fleet vessels,” Ryzhenko concluded.

As reported, on June 3, Commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, Robert 'Madyar' Brovdi, announced that the Boykiy corvette had been hit and released video footage of the strike. The attack was part of a broader operation targeting military and infrastructure facilities in Russia’s Leningrad region.

Photo: Radziun, Wiki