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The dry cargo ship Askar-Sarydzha was recently attacked by Ukrainian forces in the Caspian Sea while reportedly transporting weapons from Iran to Russia. Photo: fleetphoto
Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces say they have carried out attacks on two Russian vessels in the Caspian Sea — the roll-on/roll-off ship Kompozitor Rakhmaninov (IMO: 8606616) and the cargo ship Askar-Sarydzha (IMO: 9082142). Both vessels, the Ukrainian military said, were involved in transporting weapons from Iran to Russia.
According to the statement, the strikes took place off the coast of Russia’s Republic of Kalmykia. The extent of the damage is not known.
Russia’s Defense Ministry and other authorities in Moscow have not commented on the claims. In its morning briefing, the Defense Ministry mentioned only that two drones had been shot down over the Caspian Sea.
Both of the vessels that were targeted fall under U.S. sanctions (1, 2), and both belong to MG-FLOT LLC, a company that is also sanctioned by Washington over its involvement in transporting weapons for Russia.
According to data from the maritime tracking service Starboard that was reviewed by The Insider, the vessels frequently travel between Iran and the Russian port of Astrakhan. Askar-Sarydzha, for example, has called at Iranian ports at least three times since early fall — at Enzeli, Nowshahr, and Amirabad.
Routes of the cargo ship Askar-Sarydzha between Sept. 1 and Dec. 12, 2025. The marked point indicates the vessel’s last transmitted position in the Caspian Sea on November 24.
Source: Starboard Maritime Intelligence / The Insider
Kompozitor Rakhmaninov also regularly sails between Russian, Iranian, and Kazakh ports. The vessel is difficult to track because it appears to operate with its transponder switched off. MarineTraffic last recorded it near Russia’s Kalmykia coastline in June.
The reported strikes come amid a recent series of attacks on Russia-linked vessels, mainly in the Black Sea. Earlier this week, three sea drones struck the “shadow fleet” tanker Dashan south of Feodosia. In late November, the tankers Virat and Kairos, each of which fall under UK and EU sanctions over their role in transporting Russian oil, were attacked in the Black Sea near the Bosphorus. Around the same time, the tanker Mersin was hit off the coast of Senegal, with media reports suggesting that Ukrainian drones targeted it for carrying Russian crude; however, in the latter case, no clear evidence confirming Ukrainian involvement has been presented.