In early April, a fire suddenly broke out on the Russian battleship Serpukhov in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.
The sabotage was part of a Ukrainian operation – which was helped by a Russian soldier on the inside.
– The operation came as a shock to the enemy, the FSB was furious, says Andriy Yusov of the Ukrainian military intelligence service, GUR.
The Russian warship Serpukhov was at the Russian naval base Baltiysk in Kaliningrad when Ukraine struck at the beginning of April this year – the ship was heavily damaged and caught fire.
The Ukrainian military intelligence service GUR has now revealed how the operation, called “The Fisherman”, was carried out with help from the inside, reports Kyiv Post.
Russian soldier was behind the sabotage
The day after the fire on the Russian ship, GUR claimed responsibility for the attack, but never disclosed how it was carried out. In a statement informed GUR that a fire was behind the destruction and that it would take a long time to repair the ship. Images of documents and a shorter film on how the fire started were also shared.
At a press conference together with a Russian citizen, GUR now told how the operation was carried out.
The Russian national, who goes by his military nickname ‘Goga’, had been part of the Russian army for eleven years when he announced he wanted to leave. His superiors then reported to the Russian security service FSB and other authorities, but “Goga” escaped with only a warning.
Stole documents and set the ship on fire
Last year, “Goga” joined the Russian paramilitary “Free Russian Legion”, which opposes Putin’s regime and fights for Ukraine. During Operation “The Fisherman”, “Goga” stole secret documents from the battleship Serpukhov, before setting it on fire and escaping. Today he is in Ukraine.
According to Ukraine, the attack should have come as a shock to Russia and the Russian security service FSB should have been furious. Described as one of the Russian Baltic Fleet’s most modern ships, Serpukhov was launched in 2015.