Russia has begun to equip its liquefied gas transport ships with large-caliber machine guns, amid increasing risks of these being detained in the Baltic Sea, reports The Times.
On the LNG tanker “Marshal Vasilevski”, which ensures the supply of the Kaliningrad region, two firing positions equipped with heavy “Kord” machine guns were observed for the first time. Near these, sandbags were also placed for stabilizing the firing positions.
The images were captured in May 2026 by a reconnaissance aircraft of the Estonian Border Police.
Military experts quoted by The Times, however, consider such weapons to be of little effectiveness against aerial drones. Danish military analyst Jens Wenzel Kristoffersen asserts that a single machine gun post cannot provide effective defense against such threats.
In turn, an intelligence officer from a Baltic state told Delfi that, under the specific conditions of the Baltic Sea, the risk of maritime drone attacks is low, and the placement of machine guns serves more as a deterrent rather than an operational role.
Details, HERE