Ukrainian forces may have targeted routes in Dagestan used by Iran to supply weapons to Russia, the War Zone media outlet said on Nov. 6.
Dagestan authorities reported intercepting a drone attack over Kaspiysk, a port city at the Caspian Sea around 1,000 kilometers from the front line (600 miles), on the morning of Nov. 6. Ukraine's military intelligence was behind the attack, a source in the agency told the Kyiv Independent.
In the first Ukrainian attack against a naval base in Dagestan, at least two vessels — missile ships Tatarstan and Dagestan — were damaged in the attack, and possibly also several small Project 21631 ships, according to the source. The Kyiv Independent could not immediately verify the claims.
Although the precise consequences of the Ukrainian attack are difficult to establish, the recent strike is still "significant in several ways," the War Zone's experts said.
The port in Dagestan is not only a base for the Russian Caspian Flotilla and several military units of the Russian Armed Forces but is also located along the routes used by Iran to deliver weapons to Russia.
Until the recent Ukrainian attack, this route was considered safe for transportation due to being supposedly out of the range of Ukrainian weapons.
While Russian authorities claimed to have intercepted a single drone in the skies, a video shared on social media appears to show another drone hitting its target, resulting in a large explosion.
The incident took place roughly 15 kilometers (10 miles) from a local airport, the Mash news channel claimed, identifying the drone as a Ukrainian A-22 Flying Fox drone.
The nearby Makhachkala airport has suspended operations for an indefinite period due to the incident, local authorities said.
Asami Terajima
