The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on September 10 that an analysis of additional data confirmed damage to at least three Russian Black Sea Fleet vessels in Novorossiysk. It named the frigate Admiral Essen, the small seagoing minesweeper Zheleznyakov and the Project 11711 large landing ship Pyotr Morgunov. The Russian side has not commented on the claims.
Ukraine had already reported a strike on Novorossiysk overnight on September 9. The Insider, citing Ukrainian sources, wrote that the targets may have been three carriers of Kalibr cruise missiles: the Project 21631 Buyan-M small missile ship, and the frigates Admiral Essen and Admiral Makarov. The commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, Robert Brovdi, said the naval base in Novorossiysk "lost a number of military watercraft, including missile carriers."
The Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine's Defense Ministry reported a hit on the superstructure of the Admiral Essen, after which a fire broke out on board. According to the Ukrainian military, a Neptune cruise missile was used in the attack. This is not the first such report: in August, Ukrainian intelligence reported strikes on the Admiral Essen, the Admiral Makarov and the patrol ship Vasily Bykov, which were confirmed by satellite imagery.
According to Ukrainian sources, the Buyan-M small missile ship lost combat capability after the strike, and damage to the port side is visible on the Admiral Makarov. In the case of the Pyotr Morgunov, a preliminary assessment suggested the munition did not reach the ship. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine nonetheless confirms the Pyotr Morgunov was hit.
NASA's FIRMS system recorded thermal anomalies near the Novorossiysk port overnight on September 9, with detections appearing from 02:05 to 03:45 Moscow time. The Insider notes that after regular attacks on Sevastopol, Russia relocated a significant part of the Black Sea Fleet to Novorossiysk, which in recent years has also become a target of Ukrainian attacks.
Separately, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed a strike on the commercial seaport in Makhachkala overnight on September 10. According to its data, a fire broke out at the facility, and the extent of the damage is being clarified. The authorities of Dagestan confirmed a drone attack on the port, and no destruction or casualties were reported.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine calls the Makhachkala port Russia's only ice-free deep-water port on the Caspian Sea and an important hub of the Russia-Iran logistics corridor. According to the Ukrainian side, military supplies move both ways along this route: components and Shahed-type attack drones from Iran to Russia, and explosives, drone components and ammunition from Russia to Iran. According to the General Staff, a base of Russia's Caspian Flotilla is stationed near the port.
Sources differ: the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine claims the small seagoing minesweeper Zheleznyakov and the large landing ship Pyotr Morgunov were hit in Novorossiysk, while The Insider, citing Ukrainian sources, reported the probable destruction of the Buyan-M small missile ship and did not confirm a hit on the Pyotr Morgunov, saying its data indicated the munition did not reach the ship. The Russian side has not commented on the losses.