Ukrainian Assaults Target Russian Black Sea Naval Base

Ukraine launched a significant nighttime operation deploying anti-ship missiles and drones against a primary Russian naval base on the Black Sea coast. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described this operation as “unique” on Wednesday.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion four years ago, advanced drones developed by Ukraine have consistently targeted Russian vessels, including warships and oil tankers, in the Black Sea. According to Kyiv officials, Ukraine’s air and sea drones have managed to restrict the movement of Russia’s formerly dominant Black Sea fleet. This marks a major success for Ukraine in the ongoing war.

Despite these advances on the battlefield, Ukrainian authorities believe Russian President Vladimir Putin remains committed to continuing the war, despite his larger army’s sluggish progress and significant losses. U.S. diplomatic efforts to broker a settlement have so far been ineffective. Ukrainian intelligence indicates Putin may plan a further mobilization of hundreds of thousands more Russians before year-end, as announced by Zelenskyy on social media, citing intelligence reports.

The reports also note an increase in Russian production of ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones, which pose challenges for Ukrainian air defenses. Ukraine aims to ramp up its weapons production through partnerships with other nations.

While Russia hasn’t shown signs of new mass mobilization, Russian lawmaker Andrei Gurulyov dismissed rumors about such mobilization as efforts by Ukraine to unsettle the Russian populace. According to pro-Kremlin outlet Tsargrad, Gurulyov remarked that these were rumors spread deliberately to destabilize Russia internally.

After a previous partial mobilization of about 300,000 men four years ago, unpopular with the Russian public, Russia has relied on volunteers attracted by relatively high wages. However, the partial mobilization decree signed by Putin in September 2022 remains open-ended, allowing further mobilization if necessary.

The Ukrainian military reportedly carried out a singular operation against the naval base in Novorossiysk, considered the last major bastion of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea, Zelenskyy announced via social media on Wednesday. The attack targeted air defenses, piers, and other port infrastructure.

Most of Russia’s naval vessels had been relocated to Novorossiysk after earlier Ukrainian assaults on the main Black Sea base at Sevastopol, Crimea. Overnight, hundreds of Ukrainian drones attacked Novorossiysk, Anapa, Gelendzhik, and part of the Krasnodar region, according to Governor Veniamin Kondratyev. Tragically, three casualties occurred from the attack, including an 8-year-old child, with 24 others wounded and substantial damage to residential buildings.

The strikes also impaired two of Novorossiysk’s three grain terminals, leaving one non-operational, as reported by the Russian business daily Vedomosti.

According to Russia’s Defense Ministry, more than 500 Ukrainian drones were downed by air defenses. Novorossiysk, housing the Grushovaya oil terminal, a pivotal oil hub in southern Russia, reportedly remained undamaged.

Earlier this year, the U.S. State Department expressed concerns over Ukraine’s attacks on Novorossiysk, citing impacts on American oil interests in Kazakhstan. The Caspian Pipeline Consortium manages a pipeline from Kazakhstan’s Caspian coast to Novorossiysk, responsible for much of the crude exports from key Kazakh fields involving U.S. energy companies like Chevron and ExxonMobil.

Amid pressures from European militaries boarding and detaining Russian oil tankers due to sanctions, President Putin vowed retaliation for what he described as “piracy.” During a visit to a Russian warship in a Pacific naval exercise, Putin criticized Western countries for allegedly breaching maritime law by seizing vessels in Russia’s so-called shadow fleet.

Meanwhile, in Sevastopol, Crimea, which Moscow annexed illegally in 2014, 115 Ukrainian drones were reportedly downed overnight, noted Mikhail Razvozhayev, the city’s Russian-installed head. The attack damaged several residential buildings and private houses.

On another front, Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched 138 long-range drones and a series of missiles overnight, causing damage across multiple locations. In the Kherson region of southern Ukraine, a large-scale Russian drone attack resulted in two deaths and injuries to two others, as stated by regional head Oleksandr Prokudin. Additionally, a shopping mall was destroyed by the strikes in Zaporizhzhia.

According to Russia’s Defense Ministry, missiles and long-range drones hit fuel reservoirs and military cargo infrastructure in Ukraine’s Odesa region. A vessel carrying military equipment and an oil tanker destined for the Ukrainian armed forces were also reportedly struck.