Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
Ukraine has pushed its long-range strikes deeper into Russia’s Black Sea coast through the summer.
Before dawn on Wednesday, September 9, Ukrainian forces hit the Novorossiysk naval base in Krasnodar Krai and a separate cluster of military targets around Anapa, in a coordinated operation that senior Ukrainian officers described in unusual detail.
Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence directorate, known as HUR, said operators from its Active Operations Department led a joint deep-strike operation against the Russian naval base and hit the Project 11356 frigate Admiral Essen, a designated carrier of Kalibr cruise missiles.
The strike caused a fire on the frigate’s deck superstructure, Defense Express reported.
A ship built to launch Kalibr missiles
The Admiral Essen matters because it carries the same Kalibr cruise missiles Russia has fired repeatedly at Ukrainian cities. Ukrainian officials said the frigate had been struck on earlier occasions as well.
Robert “Madyar” Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, said the operation reached beyond the port.
Along the coast near Anapa, Ukrainian drones destroyed a Su-33 carrier-based fighter and an Mi-8 helicopter, and the same operation knocked out two Russian air-defense radars, the Kasta-2E2 and the 92N6, United24 Media reported.
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Why the Su-33 loss stings
The Su-33 is a scarce airframe. It was designed exclusively for Russia’s single aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, production ended decades ago, and Moscow builds no replacements.
United24 Media said the fighter is derived from the Su-27, with folding wings, reinforced landing gear and an arresting hook for carrier operations.
Brovdi also said Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces have hit 282 Russian shadow-fleet vessels since July 6.
Casualties and the Russian tally
Four people, including a child, were killed and 29 wounded in Novorossiysk, according to local authorities cited by The Moscow Times.
Drone debris struck business premises and landed near residential buildings. In Anapa, three homes and a kindergarten were damaged without injuries.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses intercepted 596 Ukrainian drones between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning across Russia and annexed Crimea. Airports in more than a dozen regions imposed temporary flight restrictions.
