Ukrainian forces launched a major overnight attack on the Russian Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying Kyiv deliberately targeted a Russian naval base and associated military infrastructure.
Russian authorities said the strikes killed two people and injured at least 12 across the Krasnodar region.
Novorossiysk Mayor Andrei Kravchenko said one child was killed and eight people were injured in the city. Drone debris damaged four businesses and 21 residential buildings, including apartment blocks, according to local authorities.
Krasnodar Krai Governor Veniamin Kondratyev separately reported that another man was killed and four people were injured elsewhere in the region, while additional buildings were damaged.
Zelenskyy confirmed the attack on Wednesday and said Ukrainian forces had targeted the Novorossiysk naval base, 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,” Zelenskyy said, adding that Ukrainian forces had confirmed hits on air-defense positions, piers and seaport infrastructure.
“The occupation fleet and all the infrastructure supporting it will not be safe as long as Russian aggression continues,” he warned.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses had intercepted and destroyed 502 Ukrainian drones across several Russian regions and over the Black Sea during the overnight attack.
The strike comes amid an intensification of Russian missile and drone attacks against Ukraine, which have killed civilians and caused extensive damage to critical infrastructure.
Kyiv has increasingly responded with attacks deep inside Russian territory, targeting military facilities, oil refineries, warehouses and other infrastructure considered important to Moscow’s war effort.
Novorossiysk is particularly significant because it has become an important base for Russia’s Black Sea Fleet and a major port supporting Russian maritime operations after the fleet came under sustained Ukrainian attack in Crimea.
The latest assault also comes days after a Ukrainian drone crashed onto a Russian beach, killing seven people and injuring 40, according to Russian authorities.
The escalating attacks highlight the growing reach of Ukraine’s long-range strike capabilities and Kyiv’s efforts to place increasing pressure on Russia’s military infrastructure far from the front lines.
