In August, the Russian frigate Vyshny Volochek collided with a tanker flying the Turkish flag

The Project 21631 Buyan-M Vyshny Volochek frigate of the Russian Black Sea Fleet was seriously damaged after an accident near Crimea.

According to sources in the @rucriminalinfo, in August, the ship collided with the civilian tanker Nazan, flying the Turkish flag, which resulted in severe damage.

The accident occurred on August 7, 2025, in the Temryuk Bay of the Azov Sea while performing “combat tasks” as part of a ship group.

According to preliminary data, the military ship was unable to avoid a collision with a civilian vessel while maneuvering, resulting in significant hull damage.

Despite the obvious technical consequences, the official report stated that the incident occurred during a “drone attack” and that the ship’s combat readiness was allegedly not affected.

This wording appeared, as noted, following the active intervention of Brigade Commander Oleg Sardyn.

However, even from the available photos, it is clear that the damage is significant and prevents the ship from being fully operational.

We would like to remind you that the State Bureau of Investigation reported suspicion of treason against the commander of the Russian Vyshny Volochek frigate, which defected to the enemy in 2014.

A drone of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine hit one of the Buyan-M Project frigates. The video of the attack appeared only at the end of August, which does not rule out the possibility that the incident occurred earlier.

Also, you can have a look at an article on the destruction of Buyan-M-class ships in the Azov Sea: how many have already been damaged, how many are still there, and how many are being used against Ukraine.

Buyan-M

A series of Project 21631 (code name Buyan-M) frigates is being built by the Zelenodolsk Plant and was developed by the Zelenodolsk Design Bureau as a modernization of the Project 21630 Buyan frigates. At the same time, the displacement increased from 500 tons to 949.

The strike weaponry is provided by the 3S14 vertical launch system (VLS), which can launch eight missiles, either Kalibr missiles or, in the future, Zircon and Onyx missiles.