Russia rearm captured Ukrainian vessels for counter-drone operations

Russians have repurposed captured naval assets from Ukraine, armored artillery boats, to counter the growing threat posed by Ukrainian drones.

At the onset of 2022, Russian forces seized control of the Berdyansk port in southern Ukraine, where small armored artillery boats of the Ukrainian Navy, the “Akkerman” and “Vyshgorod,” Gyurza-M class, were stationed. These vessels were subsequently relocated to the occupied Crimea, where they are being adapted for a new role.

According to Ukrainian sources, starting from March 12, the Russian side has completely reorganized the Berdyansk Port Administration, the base for the Ukrainian Navy ships and State Border Guard Service vessels.

Recent images have emerged depicting the rearming of the “Vyshgorod” and “Akkerman” vessels with 25mm naval artillery installations, designated as “2M-3M.” Previously, these vessels were equipped with two remote combat modules, the BM-5M.01 “Katran-M.” The combat module comprised a 30mm automatic ZTM-1 cannon, a 7.62mm machine gun, a KBP-117 30mm grenade launcher, and two “Barrier” ATGM installations.

This upgrade of seized Ukrainian vessels signifies Russian forces’ efforts to repurpose these captured vessels for counter-drone operations and effectively target Ukrainian theaters from the sea amid a shortage of their own capacities and ships.