Footage has emerged on social media showing an attack by Ukrainian kamikaze drones on the Russian naval base in Kaspiysk, located on the shores of the Caspian Sea. The assault likely utilized long-range drones based on light aircraft A-22.
The released footage captures intense gunfire from Russian troops directed at our drones, including a near hit on one of the vessels at the Kaspiysk naval base, presumably a Project 1234.1 missile boat.
Kaspiysk is situated over 1500 kilometers from the state border. The primary threat posed by this facility is that it serves as the main base for the Caspian Flotilla of the Russian Navy, which includes five corvettes armed with "Kalibr" cruise missiles, capable of a combined salvo of up to 40 missiles. Therefore, the strike on this base can be considered a preventive measure against missile threats to Ukraine from the Russians.
It is worth noting that ships from the Caspian Flotilla of the Russian Navy were involved in missile strikes on Ukrainian territory from February to May 2022, and at least in one instance in July 2024.
However, it should be specified that only three out of the five available "Kalibr" missile carriers are actively in service within the Caspian Flotilla of the Russian Federation, namely the Project 21631 "Buyan-M" corvettes, which had been stationed there even before February 2022.
The other two "Kalibr" carriers in the hands of the Russians in the Caspian are the "Tucha" and "Amur" corvettes of Project 22800 "Karakurt," which were transferred from the Black Sea in spring 2024. Their current level of technical readiness to carry out missions is still unknown.
Furthermore, it cannot be ruled out that Kaspiysk could have been used by the Russians as a transshipment base for delivering artillery shells and/or components for the production of "Shaheds" from Iran through the Caspian Sea.
Therefore, considering the details mentioned above, the very fact of the strike by Ukrainian Defense Forces drones on the Russian Kaspiysk is significant, even if this time it only "touched" a missile boat rather than a corvette-class ship or a vessel carrying munitions.
Previously, Defense Express reported on how Russia built two "Tarantul" boats from rusty blocks for X-35 missiles, and what lies ahead for these ships.