London, UK

Ukrainian forces have escalated their campaign of asymmetric and sensitive actions deep within Russian territory, with a reported successful strike on a Buyan-M class missile corvette, the Grad, while it was traversing Lake Onega in the Republic of Karelia, Russia. The daring operation, attributed to the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces (SSO), highlights Kyiv’s expanding operational reach and capability to target high-value military assets far from the frontlines.

Deep Penetration Strike on Kalibr Carrier

The attack on the small missile ship Grad (Project 21631) occurred at 04:31 a.m. local time on October 4, 2025, on Lake Onega, a large inland body of water located approximately 1,000 kilometres from the Ukrainian border. This profound depth of penetration represents a significant tactical achievement for Ukrainian forces, demonstrating that even Russia’s internal waterways are no longer a guaranteed safe haven.

Headline Points:

 * Target: Buyan-M Corvette: The struck vessel was the missile ship Grad, a modern, Kalibr-NK cruise missile-capable corvette.

 * Location: Lake Onega, Karelia: The attack occurred deep inside Russia, nearly 1,000 km from the border, on an internal waterway.

 * Targeted Damage: The strike reportedly hit the starboard side of the ship’s power plant compartment, causing critical damage.

 * Vessel Route: The Grad was confirmed to be sailing the Volga-Baltic Waterway from the Baltic Sea toward the Caspian Sea.

 * Part of Broader Campaign: The naval strike was part of a coordinated series of attacks overnight, which also hit a major oil refinery and a missile system in other Russian regions.

Damage to a Critical Asset

According to a statement released by the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces, the strike damaged the vessel’s power plant compartment, which would critically impair the ship’s manoeuvrability and combat capability. The Grad, commissioned into the Baltic Fleet in late 2022, is one of Russia’s newer Buyan-M corvettes. These small, shallow-draft missile ships are notoriously armed with the Kalibr-NK long-range cruise missile system, a weapon frequently used by the Russian military to conduct precision strikes against Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure from relatively sheltered waters.

The attack comes amid a major logistical transfer, as the Grad was moving along the Volga-Baltic Waterway—a system of rivers and canals that connects the Baltic Sea to the Caspian Sea. Military analysts suggest this movement was likely intended to reinforce the Russian southern fleet. The successful targeting of the vessel along this supposedly secure internal route challenges Moscow’s ability to safely redistribute its naval assets and deliver a direct blow to its precision strike capability.

Coordinated Overnight Operations

The strike on the Buyan-M corvette was part of a broader, coordinated wave of attacks conducted by Ukrainian forces overnight against multiple military and industrial targets across Russia.

Other high-value sites reportedly hit during the same operation included:

 * Kirishinefteorgsintez Oil Refinery: A precision strike targeted one of Russia’s largest oil-processing facilities in the Leningrad region, hundreds of miles from the border. Reports indicated explosions and a resulting fire, with the scale of damage still being assessed.

 * Kursk Region Military Assets: Ukrainian forces reported successfully striking a “Garmon” radar complex and a transporter-loader vehicle for an Iskander short-range ballistic missile system in the Kursk region, aiming to disrupt Russia’s ground-based missile launch capabilities.

 * Command Post: A command post of Russia’s 8th Army was also reported hit in Russian-occupied territory of Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast.

While the Russian Ministry of Defence has not yet commented on the alleged strike on the Grad, the Ukrainian General Staff affirmed the coordinated attacks, stating that the Defense Forces of Ukraine will “continue a systematic campaign against the destruction of Russian military facilities and weakening its military-economic potential.”

The incident marks another loss for the Russian naval inventory, demonstrating Ukraine’s growing capacity to conduct long-range strikes against key Russian military hardware, even in areas previously considered beyond Kyiv’s reach.