Russian Spy Ship Catches Fire Near Syria's Coast

The vessel lost control and was drifting near the port of Tartus.

Russian Kildin reconnaissance ship has caught fire in the Mediterranean Sea, near the coast of Syria. The crew lost control of the vessel for several hours. But despite the seriousness of the situation, the Russians refused help from the crews of other ships in the area.

The ship lost control and was drifting near the Syrian port of Tartus. The incident occurred last week, but reports of the incident only recently appeared in the media. French RFI news radio reported that the fire happened on Thursday, 23 January, at around 12:00 GMT.

‘Kildin’ is a medium-sized reconnaissance ship of Project 861M (NATO classification is ‘Moma class’) of the Northern and Black Sea Fleet of the USSR Navy and the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Navy. It was launched on 31 January 1973. The ships of the series were built at the Stocznia Polnochna shipyard in Gdansk (Poland).

‘Kildin’ left its base in the Baltic Sea in autumn 2024 and has been operating in the Mediterranean Sea since November. Prior to the fire, the crew was following the Turkish Mavi Vatan exercise.

According to media reports, the fire was so serious that the crew prepared to evacuate. Eyewitnesses reported flames and thick smoke coming from the ship's chimney.

The nearby Togo-flagged dry cargo ship of Milla Moon attempted to approach the Kildin, but was ordered to move away. The fire was brought under control only after five hours.

According to a French officer, it looks like the worst was avoided, but the spy ship's ability to continue its mission is still unknown.

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