Ukrainian drone strike hits major Russian grain terminals in Black Sea port

A massive Ukrainian drone and missile strike targeted the strategic Russian port of Novorossiysk overnight, damaging two major grain export terminals and striking key naval assets in the Black Sea.

Local officials reported that three people, including an eight-year-old child, were killed and 24 others were injured in the attack, which prompted an emergency declaration in the city. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the assault as a unique operation utilizing rockets, jet drones, and naval drones. Military officials in Kyiv later confirmed that four Russian warships, including two frigates, were damaged during the strike.

Novorossiysk became the primary hub for Russia’s Black Sea fleet after Ukrainian attacks previously forced Russian naval forces to relocate from Sevastopol in occupied Crimea. The damage to the export hubs led the Russian agriculture ministry to begin rerouting cargo flows toward alternative maritime routes in the Baltic and Caspian Seas.

The barrage comes amid intensified military exchanges in the region, following overnight Russian missile and glide bomb attacks that killed at least 11 civilians in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia.