Russian Naval Ship Hit In Novorossiysk Black Sea Drone Attack

Per Ukrainian sources, a Russian Naval Ship was damaged in a naval drone attack in the Black Sea. It was hit near the Russian port of Novorossiysk, a central hub for Russian exports.

Video Credits: Daily Mail 

Russia’s defence ministry said it had dodged the Ukrainian attack on its naval base. The attack involved two sea drones, but Russia did not mention any damage caused by the incident.

However, Ukraine’s security service said that Olenegorsky Gornyak was surely hit and severely breached.

They informed the BBC that a sea drone carried 450 kg of dynamite when it struck the vessel. However, Russia did not mention any damage in its incident report.

Sea drones are small and unmanned. They operate on or below the water’s surface.

Video Credits: BBC News 

A video sent to BBC by a Ukrainian source showed the drone going to the ship’s side before being cut out suddenly, possibly before impact. Another video showed the Russian ship listing to one side.

The Olenegorsky Gornyak is a landing vessel. It was made to launch amphibious forces near shore to enable beach landings. It was also designed to dock and quickly unload cargo at ports.

The damage to this vital ship could hamper Moscow’s efforts in resupplying its troops deployed in occupied southern Ukraine, although the Russian fleet will not be significantly impacted.

After the sudden assault, the Novorossiysk port suspended ship movements temporarily.

Per BBC research, Ukraine has carried out 11 attacks with sea drones at Russian military vessels and its naval base at Sevastopol and Novorossiysk harbour.

Ukrainian defence sources clarified that sea drones were also employed in an attack on the Kerch Bridge in Crimea in July.

The attack on Friday came a few days after Ukraine disclosed the appearance and details of their ‘new weapon’ – the unmanned naval drones.

However, Kyiv has been using these to attack Russian ships since 2022.

These vessels represent an evolution in naval warfare where small and unmanned boats can cause greater damage to huge ships possessing deadly weapons.

Additionally, it is not the first time Ukraine hit Novorossiysk port, and the reasons are quite simple. It exports 1.8 million barrels of oil daily, about 2% of the world’s supply, making it a crucial naval base for Russia.

Skirmishes in the Black Sea have increased after Russia withdrew from the Black Sea Grain deal, allowing the grain to be safely exported between Russia and Ukraine via the Black Sea.

After abandoning this crucial deal, Russia attacked Ukraine’s grain ports of Odesa and Chornomorsk and grain silos, destroying 60,000 tonnes of grains. It is only fitting that Kyiv seems keen to respond. It is also willing to admit to the strikes that involve sea drones.

The latest attack on the Russian landing ship shows “it is possible to effectively carry out some operations which will decrease Russia’s maritime influence, military influence on the Black Sea,” President Zelensky’s adviser Mykhaylo Podolyak told the BBC.

President Zelensky said there is a war “coming to Russia”, although he mentioned a peace summit that can be held “as early as the autumn”. However, neither Russia nor Ukraine seems too keen to determine the conditions for the peace summit.

References: Reuters, BBC

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Source: Maritime Shipping News