from
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/blasts-gunfire-reported-near-russian-black-sea-port-novorossiysk-2023-08-04/

Ukrainian drone disables Russian warship near Russia's Novorossiysk port
By Tom Balmforth
August 4, 20237:10 AM PDTUpdated 44 min ago

Summary
Companies
Russia accuses Ukraine of naval drone attack on port
Says it has destroyed two Ukrainian sea drones
Russian warship was damaged in the attack, two sources say
Ship movements at port briefly suspended before resuming

Aug 4 (Reuters) - A Russian warship was seriously damaged in an
overnight Ukrainian naval drone attack on Russia's Black Sea navy base
at Novorossiysk, the first time the Ukrainian navy has projected its
power so far from the country's shores.

The port, which handles 2% of the world's oil supply and also exports
grain, temporarily halted civilian ship movement before resuming normal
operations, according to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium which operates
an oil terminal there.

Russia's Defence Ministry said a Ukrainian attack by two sea drones had
been repelled in the waters outside the base and that the drones had
been destroyed. It made no mention of any damage in its short statement.

A Ukrainian intelligence source said the Olenegorsky Gornyak, a Russian
Navy landing ship with around 100 Russian servicemen on board, had been
hit by a sea drone carrying 450 kilograms of TNT.

"As a result of the attack, the Olenegorsky Gornyak received a serious
breach and currently cannot conduct its combat missions," the source
told Reuters, adding that the operation had been carried out by
Ukraine's Security Service and the navy. "All the Russian statements
about a 'repelled attack' are fake."

Video footage verified by Reuters showed the Olenegorsky Gornyak being
towed to shore by a tug, listing heavily to its port side.

Andriy Ryzhenko, a retired Ukrainian Navy captain and naval consultant,
estimated the sea drones had travelled 740 km (460 miles) from their
likely launch area to Novorossiysk, which would amount to a significant
increase in their range.

"It was the first time ... the Ukrainian navy projected power so far
away," he said.

A source with knowledge of the port's operations said a large Russian
naval vessel had to be towed ashore because it could not move under its
own power after being damaged.

The source, who did not name the vessel, said oil and grain loadings
were still taking place at the port, which resumed normal operations
hours after the attack.

Ukraine referred to the Olenegorsky Gornyak without directly claiming
responsibility for the attack.

"We have open information that it is indeed damaged," said Natalia
Humeniuk, spokesperson for the southern military command said, adding
"it is absolutely legal to destroy the potential of the enemy in time of
war."

The Kremlin referred questions to the defence ministry, which did not
immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Ukrainian source shared a grainy video that looked like it had been
shot from the top of a maritime drone that sails right up to the side of
a large vessel before the video abruptly cuts out and turns to pixels.

"Another Russian ship is teetering, undermining the aggressor's security
reputation in the Black Sea waters," Ukraine's foreign ministry said on
X, previously known as Twitter, adding that one of its compartments had
flooded.

Sea drone shows the silhouette of Olenegorsky Gornyak ship near the port
of Novorossiysk
A sea drone shows the silhouette of Olenegorsky Gornyak ship near the
port of Novorossiysk, Russia, in this screengrab obtained from social
media video released on August 4, 2023. Video obtained by Reuters/via
REUTERS

Andrei Kravchenko, a Novorossiysk city official, said on the Telegram
app that the Olenegorsky Gornyak was one of two ships that had
"instantly reacted" to fend off the Ukrainian attack.

RISING BLACK SEA TENSIONS
Russian social media users had reported hearing explosions and gunfire
near Novorossiysk on Friday morning.

"Tonight, the armed forces of Ukraine attempted to attack the
Novorossiysk naval base with two unmanned sea boats," the Defence
Ministry said in its statement.

"In the course of repelling the attack, the unmanned boats were visually
detected and destroyed by fire from the standard weapons of the Russian
ships guarding the outer waters of the naval base."

The Caspian Pipeline Consortium which loads oil onto tankers in
Novorossiysk said its facilities had not been damaged and that oil
loadings continued onto tankers which were already moored.

The port is one of the biggest in the Black Sea, and a major terminal
for the export of oil and oil products. The Caspian Pipeline Consortium
is the main exporter of Kazakh crude oil.

Exports of Russian and Kazakh oil from Novorossiysk average around 1.8
million barrels per day, or about 2% of global oil supply.

Britain's military intelligence service said last September that
Russia's Black Sea Fleet had relocated some submarines from the Crimean
port of Sevastopol to Novorossiysk, probably because of the increased
threat of Ukrainian long-range strikes.

Retired Ukrainian Navy captain Ryzhenko said the drone video suggested
the Russian vessel had been taken by surprise.

"Open windows were visible with the lights on inside. No sailors on the
top deck (were) looking for a possible threat. This drone just hit in
the middle and caused significant damage to this ship," he said.

"This is quite a serious signal to Russia that other attacks can be
conducted and for them it will be unsafe to keep vessels even in
Novorossiysk."

Tensions in and near the Black Sea have escalated since Russia last
month withdrew from a deal allowing the safe export of grain from
Ukrainian ports. Russian drones and missiles have since repeatedly
struck Ukrainian port facilities and grain silos on or near the Black Sea.

Ukraine sank Russia's flagship, the cruiser Moskva, in April 2022 and
said in June last year that it had hit a Russian naval tugboat with
Western-supplied anti-ship missiles.

The Ukrainian source did not mention other attacks on warships, but said
Friday's hit was the latest in a string of successful operations by the
security service, including sabotage operations on Russia's bridge to
occupied Crimea last year and last month.

The Russian Defence Ministry said on Friday that its forces had also
repelled an attempted Ukrainian attack on Crimea, which it annexed from
Ukraine in 2014, using at least 13 aeroplane-like drones. It said there
were no casualties or damage.

Additional reporting by Olena Harmash and Reuters bureaux; editing by
Philippa Fletcher
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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