Press
A Russian defector tells a Ukrainian press conference how he fooled Vladimir Putin’s navy and sabotaged a Moscow warship.
Kaliningrad – In the Ukraine war, there are few in and from Russia who publicly take on Kremlin autocrat Vladimir Putin. And those who do so usually experience the brutality and ruthlessness of the Moscow ruler.
Sabotage against Vladimir Putin: Ukraine presents Russian resistance fighter
Now someone has dared to step forward again, and in Ukraine itself, which has been attacked by Putin. And that’s not all: Kiev has even called a press conference with the man who apparently voluntarily inflicted a severe, almost embarrassing military defeat on Putin’s regime.
He is a Russian citizen. To be more precise, he is a former Russian marine of Moscow’s Baltic Fleet. As the Ukrainian security authorities announced on Wednesday (July 3) at the press conference, the young man with the pseudonym “Goga” is said to be responsible for the sabotage on the Russian warship “Serpukhov” of the Buyan class. In protest against Putin’s war of aggression.
Losses for Vladimir Putin: Russian saboteur helped Ukraine in Kaliningrad
A look back: On April 8, a video was circulating on X that was supposed to show the outbreak of a fire in the Project 21631 corvette – that is the technical name of the warship. The fire was apparently deliberately set inside the 62-meter-long and 9.6-meter-wide ship. The Kremlin did not comment on the reports of the alleged sabotage in the spring. Explosive: The “Serpukhov”, which was commissioned in November 2015, is one of the most modern warships in the Russian Navy.
Also explosive: The port of Baltiysk, where the sabotage is said to have taken place, is located in the Kaliningrad exclave on the Baltic Sea. And thus far away from the actual theater of war in Ukraine. The “Serpuchow”, which is part of the Baltic Fleet, is said to have suffered serious technical damage, and not just from the fire on board.
Ship type: | Corvette of the Russian Navy |
Commissioning: | 13 November 2015 |
Crew: | 29 to 36 men |
Length Width: | 62m / 9.6m |
Maximum speed: | 28 knots (52 km/h) |
Armament: | 1x 100 mm L/59 gun A190, 1x launcher for 8 Kalibr guided missiles or 8 P-800 anti-ship missiles, 2x launchers for 2 × 2 9K38 anti-aircraft missiles |
Ukraine defector from Russia: Ex-soldier shows flag against Vladimir Putin
As Anton Heraschtschenko, the much-quoted adviser to the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, writes at X, “Goga” also smuggled secret documents about Russian warships through the Russian security checks of Putin’s navy and probably handed them over to the Ukrainian secret service GUR after his escape. According to Heraschtschenko, “Goga” turned to this service in 2023 when he heard about the “I want to live” project for Russian soldiers.
To put it simply: The Ukrainian secret service GUR helps Russian soldiers to defect if they reveal sensitive information and credibly assure that they no longer want to have anything to do with Putin’s war of aggression against their western neighbor, which violates international law. This was probably the case with “Goga”, who also had the courage to appear in public and literally fly the flag against the imperialist Moscow autocrat.
![The “Serpukhov”, a Russian warship of the Buyan class (front) at anchor in Kaliningrad. (Archive photo)](https://www.merkur.de/assets/images/34/995/34995182-die-serpuchow-ein-russisches-kriegsschiff-der-bujan-klasse-vorne-in-kaliningrad-vor-anker-archivfoto-2g2rnCZ3YSBG.jpg)
Sabotage in Russia: Freedom of Russia Legion claims responsibility for Kaliningrad attack
At the press conference, he wore the white-blue-white flag on his military uniform, which is seen in Eastern Europe as a symbol of protest against the Russian attack on Ukraine and against the imperialism and domestic autocracy of the Putin regime, including the suppression of the opposition. Russian opposition figures who reject Putin and the form of his rule use this flag as a symbol on social media, for example.
“Goga”, whose real name is kept secret for his protection, can therefore be described as a Russian resistance fighter. Specifically: According to GUR spokesman Andriy Yusov, “Goga” belongs to the resistance group “Freedom of Russia Legion”. “Goga” was quoted at the press conference as saying: “I took prepared, secret documents and left the ship, also leaving the territory (Russia, d. Red.) left.” And the “Freedom of Russia Legion” stated on Telegram about the “Serpukhov” sabotage: “Through the sabotage, we managed to ruin the ship from the inside and completely destroy the communication systems.” (pm)
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