Ukrainian drones strike Russian warship in Gulf of Finland

Ukrainian drones struck a Russian warship in the Gulf of Finland on Wednesday, marking the first such attack on a Russian vessel in an open stretch of the Baltic Sea. The strike targeted the Naro-Fominsk corvette as part of a broader operation against Russia's Ust-Luga oil export depot. Finnish officials confirmed the incident, with Estonia's defence minister reporting smoke from the ship, which returned toward St Petersburg. The vessel carried Kalibr and Oniks cruise missiles, though casualties and damage remain unclear. The attack occurred in a waterway used by civilian tankers and subsea cables. The strike follows repeated Black Sea attacks since Russia's 2022 invasion, but analysts do not view it as a serious escalation. Ukrainian drones also hit storage tanks at Ust-Luga, with fires visible from Estonia, while NATO aircraft monitored the situation without engaging.