Russia accidentally tanks its own ship during one of its naval exercises near Kaliningrad

During a naval exercise near Kaliningrad on March 19, Russia accidentally struck its own ship, the trawler Captain Lobanov, with a missile, resulting in the deaths of three crew members and injuries to four others, according to a report by the independent television channel TV Rain.

Reports from Russian media outlets indicated that a missile mistakenly hit the trawler during a drill conducted as part of the Baltic Fleet exercise on March 19, causing a fire that engulfed the ship and destroyed the captain’s cabin. A video circulating on social media depicted the chaotic scene as flames consumed the vessel.

Initially, authorities described the incident as a mere “fire” on board, downplaying its severity. However, a relative of one of the crew members revealed that the missile had directly struck the ship’s captain’s cabin, causing extensive damage.

“A relative of a squad member of the trawler ‘Captain Lobanov’ confirmed…that the ship was mistakenly hit by a navy missile. As a result of a missile hitting the fishing trawler Kapitan Lobanov on March 19, three crew members were killed and four more were injured…The missile that hit the trawler was fired during a Baltic Fleet exercise…Before the incident, the trawler’s crew members were about to go to bed when a rocket fell on the captain’s cabin,” read a report by TV Rain.

“When they were taking away the survivors, everyone knew perfectly well that three people had been killed. And everyone knew perfectly well that a missile had hit. But they decided to write that there was a ‘fire.’ I wonder what kind of fire it was if the captain’s cabin was completely gone, it was simply blown away,” a source told TV Rain.

Surviving crew members were taken to a hospital for treatment, where they were questioned by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) and instructed not to discuss the incident.

Anton Gerashchenko, a former adviser to Ukraine’s minister of internal affairs, commented on the incident, suggesting that the Russians had sunk their own ship during the exercise.

The families of the survivors expressed frustration over the disparity between official statements and the actual events, raising concerns about the accuracy of reports given the destruction of the captain’s cabin.