The conflict in Ukraine suddenly shifted to the eastern coast of the Black Sea with an attack on the city of Novorossiysk by Ukrainian naval surface drones on the morning of Friday, August 4. The strike on this Russian port, which houses a military base, commercial facilities and an oil terminal, damaged a military vessel and interrupted shipping traffic for several hours. In 18 months of war, this is the first time that a Russian commercial port, described as crucial for wheat exports, has been targeted. On Saturday, Russian media reported that a Russian oil tanker had also been hit by Ukrainian drones in the Kerch Strait, briefly interrupting traffic on the strategic bridge linking Crimea to Russia.
Moscow claims to have repelled Friday's attack, adding that two of its vessels, Olenogorski Gorniak and Suvorovets, succeeded in destroying two suicide drones. The brief statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense made no mention of any damage.
However, a video posted the same day on The Military Observer, a Russian Telegram channel, shows Olenogorski Gorniak clearly leaning on its left side, being towed by another ship. Military blogger Vladimir Romanov, who supports Russia's invasion of Ukraine, also posted a video of the tow. This footage shows that the patrol boat, actually a landing ship designed to carry men and heavy equipment, has suffered water damage, its hull having probably been pierced by a drone explosion. Russia's Black Sea fleet will not be particularly affected by this incident, as Moscow has decided not to organize a landing on the Ukrainian coast, which is well defended.
"This type of [landing] ship, of which there are nine in the Black Sea, acts as a link between Russia and Crimea due to Ukrainian attacks on the Kerch Bridge," explained Alexandre Sheldon-Duplaix, a naval analyst and historian.
Another symbol of rising tensions in the area, this road and rail bridge linking annexed Crimea to the Russian Federation was partially damaged by naval drones on July 17. Part of the road is currently being repaired, but trains carrying most of the military equipment to the southern front (Kherson and Zaporizhzhia) continue to run.
Crimea is also under constant attack from aerial drones. In recent weeks, arms and ammunition depots have been destroyed, and a bridge (Chonhar) and an airfield (Dzhankoi) have been partially damaged. On Friday, the Russian Defense Ministry said it had thwarted another night-time attack by unmanned aerial vehicles in Feodossia, a military logistics hub in the east of the peninsula.
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