How Ukraine combined Neptune missiles, Palianytsia drones in ‘unique’ strike on Russian stronghold
Ukraine said it carried out a major overnight strike on the Russian naval base and port infrastructure at Novorossiysk, more than 300 km from the front line, using jet-powered drones, Neptune missiles and unmanned naval systems.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday said the operation targeted Russia’s Black Sea Fleet infrastructure, with strikes reported on air-defence positions, piers and parts of the seaport.
The claims came alongside reports from Russian officials and industry sources of casualties and damage in the port city.
Novorossiysk port operations disrupted after attack
Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s Defence Forces had carried out a “unique operation” against the naval base in Novorossiysk, describing it as the last major stronghold of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea.“Our Palianytsia jet-powered drones, Neptune missiles, and unmanned naval systems successfully struck the designated targets. Hits on air defence positions, piers, and seaport infrastructure have been confirmed,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X.He thanked Ukraine’s armed forces, security service and intelligence agencies for the operation and said Russian naval assets and supporting infrastructure would remain vulnerable while Moscow’s war against Ukraine continued.The strike also affected civilian infrastructure in Novorossiysk, according to Russian officials cited by Reuters.Mayor Andrei Kravchenko said an overnight drone attack killed a child, damaged four enterprises and more than two dozen residential buildings. Eight people, including a child, were injured, he said.Krasnodar region governor Veniamin Kondratyev separately said another person was killed and several others were wounded in the wider region.
Two major grain terminals suspend operations
The attack also disrupted operations at Novorossiysk’s grain export infrastructure, potentially affecting one of Russia’s key routes for overseas wheat shipments.Two major grain terminals at the port suspended operations following the strikes, four industry sources told Reuters. NKHP, one of the largest grain terminals at Novorossiysk, halted operations after sustaining damage, while its owner said it would provide further details later.Another terminal, owned by Demetra Holding, also sustained unspecified damage and suspended operations, according to an industry source.Novorossiysk is an important outlet for Russia’s grain exports. Russia is the world’s largest wheat exporter, and much of its grain is shipped through Black Sea ports. The two affected terminals have a combined annual export capacity of 15.6 million metric tonnes.The disruption comes after Russia’s main grain lobby warned that continued Ukrainian attacks could eventually affect Black Sea grain exports, potentially putting upward pressure on prices and affecting supplies to markets in Africa and the Middle East.The port also handles oil exports, including infrastructure linked to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which transports Kazakh oil to international markets.There was no indication that the consortium’s facilities or associated tankers were hit in the overnight attack.
Ukraine says attack was part of wider strike campaign
The Novorossiysk operation came amid a broader exchange of long-range strikes between Russia and Ukraine.Russian authorities said air defences intercepted hundreds of Ukrainian drones over several regions and occupied Crimea overnight.In Sevastopol, authorities said more than three dozen drones were shot down, with some houses damaged but no reported injuries.Ukraine also said its forces struck an oil refinery in Orsk, Orenburg region, around 1,500 km from Ukraine. The facility has an annual crude-processing capacity of about 44 million barrels, although the extent of the damage was still being assessed.The latest attacks follow Ukraine’s broader campaign against Russian energy, logistics and port infrastructure.
Russia continues strikes on Ukrainian cities
The Ukrainian attack came after Russia carried out a series of missile, drone and glide-bomb strikes across Ukraine that killed at least 10 civilians, according to Ukrainian officials.Zelenskyy has also accused Russia of using North Korean-supplied ballistic missiles in an overnight strike on Zaporizhzhia, where seven workers at a steel plant were killed and 21 injured, according to the company operating the facility.Russia has also continued receiving military support from North Korea, according to Ukrainian officials and Western assessments. Zelenskyy said Moscow was preparing to receive additional North Korean troops.“Every step Russia takes — increasing ballistic missile production, bringing in North Korean equipment, preparing for mobilisation — all of this shows that Moscow is preparing not for peace, but for escalation,” Zelenskyy said earlier.Russian strikes have also hit Kyiv, including the grounds of a children’s hospital, while a warehouse fire was reported elsewhere in the capital. Ukrainian authorities said children and medical workers were sheltering at the hospital and no one was injured there.Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had targeted military-industrial and transport and logistics facilities in Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia.
Strike comes as diplomatic efforts continue
The latest escalation comes as Kyiv continues to signal that it is open to diplomatic efforts to end the war.Zelenskyy said Ukraine had handed proposals to US negotiators for a plan to end the conflict, while also arguing that Russia’s continued attacks and military cooperation with North Korea showed preparations for further escalation.In his latest statement on the Novorossiysk operation, Zelenskyy said “all reasonable proposals for diplomacy are on the table”, while warning that Russian naval and military infrastructure would remain targets as long as the war continued.The latest strikes underline the expanding geographical reach of Ukraine’s attacks on Russian military and economic infrastructure, while Russia continues to use missiles, drones and glide bombs against targets across Ukraine.
