Based on images published today, long-range Ukrainian drone appear to have damaged Russian Icebreaker Purga – under construction in Vyborg Shipyard, St Petersburg, far away from the frontline.
Purga was launched in October 2022. The arctic patrol ship is intended for the border guard service (Coast Guard) of the Federal Security Service (FSB) of the Russian Federation.
The latest strike on the icebreaker Purga at Vyborg is another reminder that Ukraine’s use of drones is opening a new era in naval warfare. The main lesson is not only about reach, but also about cost asymmetry: relatively inexpensive drones can damage, delay, or even neutralise platforms worth tens or hundreds of millions of dollars.
The war in Ukraine has effectively become a testing ground for unmanned systems, and operations such as Spider’s Web have shown that cheap drones can create damage out of all proportion to their cost. For navies, coast guards, and shipyards alike, this means drones can no longer be treated as a secondary threat. They are now a central feature of the modern battlefield.
The defensive challenge is equally serious. Small drones flying low and slow are inherently difficult to detect and track, which means effective protection requires persistent 24/7 layered counter-UAS coverage rather than improvised measures. While some land forces have already adapted, many maritime forces still lack adequate dedicated systems, leaving ships vulnerable or forcing them to use expensive hard-kill weapons against cheap aerial threats.
In that sense, the reported attack on Purga is not just an isolated incident; it is a warning that the gap between offensive drone innovation and defensive adaptation at sea is becoming strategically significant.
About Project 23550 vessels
Two project 23550 ships are being built for the Russian Navy, and two for the Border Service of Russia (Coast Guard). The Ivan Papanin lead ship for the Russian Navy was laid by Admiralty Shipyard on April 19, 2017, and floated on October 25, 2019. The Nikolai Zubov was laid on November 27, 2019. The ships have to become operational in 2023 and 2024. The third hull, Purga, is currently being built for the Russian Border Guards (keel laid in July 2020, launched in October 2022).
For the record, Project 23550 is a multirole icebreaker combining the functionalities of a tugboat, patrol ship, and an icebreaker capable of breaking ice up to 1.7 meters thick. Project 23550 ships are designed to protect and monitor Arctic water resources; escort and tow other vessels; act as a support vessels; participate in rescue operations; transport various cargo in the Arctic.
The vessel has a total displacement of about 9,000 tons; a length of about 114 meters; a width of about 20 meters and a draft of about 6.0 meters. Its maximum speed is 18 knots; economic speed of 10 knots; crew / additional crew of about 60/50 people. The endurance is 70 days at sea.
In terms of weapon systems and equipment, Project 23550 vessels are fitted with a 76-mm AK-176MA main gun; portable air defense systems; helipad and helicopter hangar able to accommodate a Ka-27 class helicopter and unmanned aerial vehicles; two Raptor high-speed assault boats of the Raptor type and one Project 23321 hovercraft. Last but certainly not least, the vessel can be fitted with a containerized version of the Kalibr-NK missile system.
