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A damaged unmanned surface vessel believed to have been involved in the attack on Novorossiysk. Source: Exilenova+
On the morning of Sept. 24, Ukrainian drones struck the center of Novorossiysk, a port city on the Black Sea coast in southern Russia, killing at least two people and injuring six, according to city officials. Mayor Andrei Kravchenko said a state of emergency has been imposed.
Maritime drones attacked the city’s port shortly before the aerial strikes occurred. Kravchenko reported the threat of such an attack at around 7 a.m. local time. The port currently hosts multiple vessels of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, which were relocated there in 2023 in response to Ukrainian attacks against Russian-occupied Crimea.
Soon after the sea drones exploded in the port, an air alert was declared for drone strikes, and the city center came under attack.
The Krasnodar region’s Operational Headquarters confirmed two deaths and at least six wounded. Seven buildings, including the Novorossiysk Hotel, were damaged, along with seven vehicles. Video circulating online showed a residential building on fire, which emergency workers were still working to extinguish at the time it was filmed.
At around 3 p.m. local time, authorities announced a state of emergency. Kravchenko said the threat of further attacks by unmanned surface and aerial drones remained in place.
Regional officials also reported a threat of maritime drone attacks in Gelendzhik, while in Sochi beachgoers were being evacuated.
Following the attacks and drone alerts, two key oil terminals suspended tanker loadings, according to a Bloomberg report.
The temporary, preventive shutdown affects the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal, as well as the Sheskharis terminal. A CPC representative confirmed the suspension, calling it standard practice during alerts.
Together, the two terminals handle more than 2 million barrels a day of Russian and Kazakh crude exports. With global seaborne supplies at roughly 40 million barrels per day, the CPC terminal and Sheskharis complex are critical nodes in global energy logistics, Bloomberg noted. Transneft, the state pipeline operator that manages the Sheskharis terminal, did not respond to emailed requests for comment.
Earlier, CPC said its Novorossiysk office was damaged in the mass drone strike on the city center. The consortium reported that people in the building had been seriously injured, though none were said to be employees.