Global Conflict Reporting

Category: Baltic Sea

  • Russian Baltic Sea Fleet Ship Struck Near St. Petersburg.

    Russian Baltic Sea Fleet Ship Struck Near St. Petersburg.

    Satellite images and video shows the damage after yesterday mornings’ attack on the Russian warship Boikiy, a Project 20380/Steregushchiy-class Corvette in the Baltic Sea Fleet. The ship was attacked during a large Ukrainian drone wave that struck St. Petersburg and the Kronstadt naval base that’s nearby. The ship was struck twice in videos released by Ukraine. Video released later on shows fire crews battling a large fire near the center of the ship.

    Link to GCR video showing attack on Boikiy.

    https://www.facebook.com/share/r/17kiH9TZpN

    The ship was in drydock at the Kronstadt naval base near St. Petersburg. It has been there since February of this year receiving routine maintenance and repairs.

    This ship is thought of by maritime experts as one of Russia’s most modern warships. it serves as a multipurpose corvette mainly designed for littoral zone operations, engagement of enemy submarines and surface ships, and gun support of landing operations.

    The ship carries a crew of 100 and displaces around 2,200 pounds. Its size has given it the classification of a “Frigate” in western navies as it’s a little bit bigger than what is generally considered to be a corvette.

    While its size is on the small side its armament is anything but. It has a weight provision eight SS-N-25 missiles (KH-35) (NATO reporting name AS-20 ‘Kayak’) a Turbo-jet subsonic, anti-ship missile. After the first ship in the Steregushchiy was built the CIWS system was removed and replaced with x12 Redut VLS Cells loaded with 9M96E2 missiles (Used in the S-400 anti air system).

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  • Italian fighters intercepted a rare Russian plane over the Baltic Sea. 

    By.Scott Jackson

    11.24.2025

    Last week, Italian Aeronautica Militare Eurofighter Typhoons intercepted a TU-134 “Black Pearl” over the Baltic Sea while taking part in their routine Baltic Air Policing (BAP). The Black Pearl is a pretty rare sight only spotted in the Baltic twice since 2020. “Black Pearl” is the name given to the plane by western military analysts, its actual NATO designation is “Crusty-B”.

    The Typhoons were stationed at Ämari Air Base in Estonia. They recently replaced the Italian F-35’s that were stationed at the same base. The Italians are taking part in the multinational NATO operation Eastern Sentry.

    The TU-134 “Black Pearl” accompanied by two Su-30SM2 and a SU-24.

    At the time of interception of “The Black Pearl”, a modified version of the civilian Tupolev TU-134, the district plane was being accompanied by two Sukhoi Su-30SM2 “Flankers” and what is believed to be a Su-24MR “Fencer”. The “Flankers” are operated by the Russian Navy, while the “Fencer” is from the Russian Air Force.  

    Sukhoi Su-24 Flanker.
    Italian Typhoon tailing the two SU-30’s.

    The Black Pearl is a Tu-134UBL (now Tu-134A-4 VIP transport) that was at one time used to train pilots and navigators of Russia’s strategic bomber forces. Anything from the Tu- 160’s to the Tu-22M3 and Tu-95MS. The Russians added a very sharply pointed, bomber-like nose and a black paint job. The jet is now mostly used as a VIP transport. As it was encountered over the Baltic it’s likely it was hauling Russian VIPs to the Russian enclave in Kaliningrade. 

    NATO air command shared the images on November 21st, but implied that the images weren’t taken that day. 

    The plane was intercepted in 2020 by F-16’s from the Belgium Air Force that were also conducting a BAP. They managed to capture an inferred image of the plane from the F-16’s Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod. 

    IR imagery of the Black Pearl taken from the Sniper pod of a Bulgarian F-16.

    The Black Pearl is an interesting variant of an aircraft that you don’t see very much anynore.

    It’s believed the Black Pearl was shepherding the fighters for delivery to the 4th Guards Naval Assault Aviation Regiment of the 34th Mixed Aviation Division, assigned to Baltic Fleet Aviation and based at Chernyakhovsk Air Base in Kaliningrad, according to KEY.AERO.