Maritime Drones Target Black Sea Fleet’s Novorossiysk Base

In the early hours of Thursday, Sept 5, unmanned surface vessels (USV) maritime drones attacked the port of Novorossiysk, according to Mayor Andrey Kravchenko.

Novorossiysk is one of Russia's key ports on the Black Sea which holds strategic importance for the country’s military logistics.

This coincided with a report by the Russian Ministry of Defense that its forces destroyed two unmanned boats in the northeastern part of the Black Sea overnight.

In the city’s waterfront area, traffic was restricted. Around 8:00 a.m., the alarm, which had been sounding since 1:30 a.m. was lifted. The mayor of Novorossiysk did not provide details on the aftermath of the attack.

Ukraine has three main types of USV or maritime drones that have the potential to reach Novorossiysk: the HUR's MAGURA V5 and two SBU drones: Sea Baby and Kozak Mamai.

It is currently not known which of the three were used to target Novorossiysk and Ukraine has not made any official comment on the situation.

After Ukrainian forces destroyed part of the Russian military fleet based in occupied Sevastopol, Novorossiysk became the main base for Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.

Reports indicate that some ships were relocated from occupied Crimea to Novorossiysk, making the city a key hub for Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.

Novorossiysk, as a key Russian port for exporting oil products, has been attacked several times in 2024 by Ukrainian forces using unmanned boats and drones. These strikes caused significant damage to infrastructure, including oil refineries and military bases located in the region.

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Novorossiysk also became a symbol of the vulnerability of Russian infrastructure, despite being far from the front line. The attacks on the city demonstrated Ukraine’s ability to strike over long distances and inflict damage on strategically important targets, influencing the course of the war and the morale of both sides.