3 Russian ships hit, 3 sailors killed in Ukrainian strike on Black Sea port, SBU source says
Ukrainian forces struck the Russian port of Novorossiysk, hitting the minesweeper Valentin Pikul and "severely" damaging two anti-submarine ships, the Yeysk and the Kasimov, on March 2, a source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) told the Kyiv Independent.
The attack on the Black Sea port in southern Russia, which also killed three Russian sailors and injured 14 others, was carried out by the SBU in coordination with Ukraine's Defense Forces, the source said.
The fire in Novorossiysk's port lasted all night, according to the source.
The same strike also damaged six of the seven oil-loading berths at the major Sheskharis oil terminal, port infrastructure, a 30N6E2 guidance radar from an S-300PMU-2 Favorit system, and a Pantsir-S2 air defense missile system.
"There are no 'protected areas' for Russian military facilities. As long as Russia wages war against Ukraine, it will have no peace anywhere — neither at sea, nor on land, nor in the rear," the source said.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims at the time of publication.
Ukraine regularly strikes military infrastructure deep within Russia and occupied territories in an effort to diminish Moscow's fighting power as the Kremlin wages its war against Ukraine.
Novorossiysk has become a central base for the Russian Black Sea Fleet after repeated Ukrainian strikes on occupied Crimea, increasing its importance as both a military and logistical hub.
Following the late November attack on the Russian oil terminal, the facility was forced to suspend oil shipments. The strike seriously damaged the mooring point two (SMP-2), prompting port authorities to halt all loading operations and order tankers out of the water area.
Ukrainian drones also struck the Novorossiysk oil terminal on Nov. 14, 2025, sparking a large fire, the SBU told the Kyiv Independent.
Kyiv considers oil facilities and vessels to be valid military targets as they directly fund Russia's war.
