Russian frigate spotted in Baltic Sea escorting LNG tanker, which likely chose new route to avoid Ukrainian attacks
The Russian frigate Admiral Kasatonov has been spotted in the Baltic Sea escorting the LNG tanker Portovyy (IMO: 9246621), according to a report by British newspaper The Telegraph and open-source intelligence (OSINT) analysts ( 1 , 2 ). The transit of Russian liquefied natural gas is unusual and may indicate that Russia has changed its export tactics out of fear of Ukrainian drone attacks,…
British media and open-source intelligence analysts have reported a Russian frigate, Admiral Kasatonov, escorting an LNG tanker, Portovyy, in the Baltic Sea. This unusual transit could indicate Russia changing its export tactics due to fears of Ukrainian drone attacks, according to analyst H.I. Sutton. The frigate, equipped with hypersonic missiles, entered service in 2020 and is one of the most modern ships in the Russian fleet.
The sighting occurred on August 17 off the coast of Fehmarn, Germany. Russia has recently deployed multiple warships to the Baltic Sea, including the Admiral Levchenko, which was seen off Denmark. OSINT analysts noted the frigate appears to be escorting an LNG tanker, likely part of Russia's "shadow fleet" used to bypass sanctions or restrictions on energy exports.
The Portovyy's route to Murmansk, a major LNG export hub, is unusual, suggesting it may be bound for East Asia, possibly China. This departure from typical Baltic Sea LNG transit routes to the Northern Sea Route could be an effort to avoid Ukrainian naval drones, which have already damaged LNG tankers in the Mediterranean.
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