Ukraine's General Staff confirms damage to two Russian Black Sea Fleet ships in Novorossiysk
Ukraine’s General Staff of the Armed Forces confirmed that two Russian Black Sea Fleet frigates, Admiral Essen and Admiral Makarov, were damaged during a Ukrainian strike on the Russian naval base in Novorossiysk on March 2.
The Admiral Essen typically carries Kalibr cruise missiles, which Russia has repeatedly used to strike Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
“As a result of additional analysis of the damage inflicted on March 2, 2026, to the naval base ‘Novorossiysk’ in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai, damage to two ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet — the frigates Admiral Essen and Admiral Makarov — has been confirmed,” the General Staff said in a statement on March 6.
The military added that the extent of the damage is still being assessed and that analysis is ongoing to determine whether other Russian vessels were also affected in the strike.
“Systematic strikes on the enemy’s military infrastructure and facilities of its military-industrial complex will continue until the complete cessation of Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine,” the statement said.
The same strike also damaged the Russian minesweeper Valentin Pikul and the anti-submarine vessels Yeysk and Kasimov, a source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) previously told the Kyiv Independent.
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.
The site that was targeted is a major oil export terminal that serves as the endpoint for pipelines run by Russia's state-run Transneft, the world's largest oil pipeline company.
