Russia claims Ukraine’s first-of-its-kind attack was unsuccessful — but new footage leaves them with some explaining to do

On December 15, 2025, Ukrainian forces conducted what was described as a “first-of-its-kind” attack on the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.

Footage from the port, released by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), showed what appeared to be an underwater drone attack inside the port, targeting a docked Russian submarine.

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Following the attack, the SBU reported that the submarine had been critically damaged, but Russian authorities rejected that claim, stating that the underwater drone instead hit the pier without causing any significant damage to the submarine.

Since then, it has been unclear what the outcome of the operation actually was, but newly surfaced satellite imagery leaves observers with some — let’s say “follow-up” — questions for the Russian authorities.

35 days later

New satellite images suggest that a Russian submarine has remained stationary long after the Ukrainian strike, raising questions about its condition and Moscow’s public claims.

According to Mark Krutov, a journalist at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the images — which he reposted from the public benefit organization Planet — show that the submarine has not “moved an inch” for the last 35 days, since the attack.

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So, Russian authorities have some explanation to do as to why the submarine has not moved at all for over a month, if the Ukrainian attack did not hit it and the submarine was still operational.

Silent harbor

Assessments from online analysts are based on comparisons with earlier satellite photos, which show other Russian naval assets in Novorossiysk being repositioned during the same period.

Those movements include ships damaged in previous Ukrainian strikes, indicating that port activity has continued while the submarine has stayed in place.

Open-source intelligence researchers say prolonged immobility is unusual for an undamaged submarine in an active naval base.

Sources: Radio Svoboda, Security Service of Ukraine, @planet / X, @kromark / X, United24Media

This article is made and published by Jens Asbjørn Bogen, who may have used AI in the preparation