Ukrainian sabotage in Baltic Sea damages a Russian ship

Ukraine has damaged a Russian minehunter and put it out of service in a sabotage operation in Russia’s Kaliningrad region, the Ukrainian military spy agency said on Monday.

The spy agency, known as GUR, said it was the second attack on Russian warships in the Baltic Sea this year.

The agency did not explain how the latest operation was carried out. Still, it said water entered the engine of the Alexander Obukhov Alexandrite minesweeper through a “mysterious hole” in a gas pipe.

“The ship was based in the city of Baltiysk and was supposed to enter combat service, but was severely damaged,” he wrote in a telegram.

There was no immediate comment from Russia, which began its full-scale invasion of its exclave of Kaliningrad more than 300 kilometers (186 miles) northwest of Ukraine in February 2022. The GUR statement said the ship was undergoing major repairs after the accident.

The spy agency released a video clip purportedly recorded on Oct. 3 showing the ship’s engine needing repair after taking on water. A second part of the video, which showed the small hole, was said to have been filmed on Sept. 29. The Revolutionary Resistance Movement and a pro-Kiev Russian military group claimed responsibility earlier this year for an arson attack on a Russian warship in the Baltic Sea in April.