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Ukraine Damages Five Russian Warships in Massive Strike on Novorossiysk Naval Base
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![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
Ukrainian defense forces carried out a large-scale overnight drone operation on March 1–2 against the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s primary base in Novorossiysk, using aerial and maritime drones to strike the naval port. The attack reportedly damaged five vessels and critical energy infrastructure.
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According to the Telegram channel “Dosye Shpiona,” the strike involved a massive deployment of unmanned systems, with Russian sources claiming approximately 200 drones were utilized in the attack.
The operation resulted in confirmed hits on several vessels currently stationed at the base, which has become the primary refuge for the Russian Black Sea Fleet. According to Dosye Shpiona, the casualties among Russian military personnel include three dead and 16 wounded.
The following vessels were reportedly identified as damaged:
The Project 266M minesweeper “Valentin Pikul”: this ship is believed to have sustained the most significant structural damage during the raid;
Project 1124M Albatros-class corvettes “Yeysk” and “Kasimov”: these small anti-submarine ships were reportedly hit while moored;
Two additional vessels: while the specific names of the remaining two ships have not been fully disclosed, satellite imagery and local reports confirm a total of five ships were affected by the strikes.
Dosye Shpiona also noted that analysts observed a “dark spot” on the pier in the docking area of the Project 1124 corvettes, suggesting a direct impact or a subsequent fire at the mooring site.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine later confirmed the strikes, emphasizing that the mission targeted both the Novorossiysk Naval Base and the Sheskharis oil terminal.
According to official Ukrainian military reports, the following land-based assets were successfully engaged:
Sheskharis oil terminal: a fire broke out at this strategic complex, which is vital for the storage and loading of Russian oil for export;
S-400 air defense system: a radar station belonging to Russia’s premier long-range air defense complex was confirmed as damaged or destroyed during the suppression of Russian defenses;
Loading equipment: oil loading headers (standers) at the terminal were also hit, potentially disrupting regional export logistics.
The SBU, together with the Defense Forces, struck Russian ships in Novorossiysk.
— WarTranslated (@wartranslated) March 2, 2026
As a result, the following were hit:
▪️ warships;
▪️ a 30N6E2 radar of the S-300PMU-2 Favorit system;
▪️ a Pantsir-S2 anti-aircraft missile and gun system;
▪️ six out of seven oil loading berths at… pic.twitter.com/fztN2sSnAZ
The relocation of the Russian Black Sea Fleet from temporarily occupied Sevastopol to Novorossiysk was intended to protect high-value assets from Ukrainian surface drones and missiles.
Earlier, reports indicated that Russia’s military leadership was considering replacing Black Sea Fleet commander Admiral Sergey Pinchuk following a series of Ukrainian drone boat strikes that exposed weaknesses in the fleet’s defenses in occupied Crimea.
According to the partisan movement ATESH, the attacks targeted naval assets and infrastructure in ports such as Sevastopol, highlighting ongoing vulnerabilities in Russia’s coastal protection systems.
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-c0ec53fadaa65abe24cd3a95277bfbf7.jpg "Russian chemical plant in the city of Kirovo-Chepetsk in 2006. (Source: Wikimedia)")
-72b63a4e0c8c475ad81fe3eed3f63729.jpeg "Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk")
