In the early hours of September 5, the Russian city of Novorossiysk came under attack by unmanned naval drones.
According to a report by Militarnyi, Novorossiysk is home to a key naval base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
At 01:23 a.m., the city's mayor, Andrey Kravchenko, confirmed that alarm sirens were activated in response to the drone assault, warning residents to stay away from the shore and avoid taking videos or photos of the incident.
Local social media was quickly filled with reports of explosions in the sea near the city and sounds of shooting.
Despite the mayor’s warnings, residents posted videos of the event on Telegram and other platforms.
By 4 a.m., authorities had restricted traffic near the waterfront and closed local beaches as a safety measure. The extent of the damage from the naval drone attack is still unclear.
Novorossiysk is located in Krasnodar Krai in southern Russia. It is a major transportation hub and the largest seaport on the Black Sea. The city is strategically important to Russia, with part of the Black Sea Fleet having been relocated there following drone and missile attacks on Crimean bases.
Recently, Ukrainian engineers equipped the Sea Baby naval drone with a Grad MRL 122mm rocket launcher, capable of launching six rockets simultaneously. This technology allows Ukrainian forces to launch naval attacks on Russian targets along the coast.
