Ukraine Breaks Russia's Last Major Naval Stronghold
As Kyiv strikes Novorossiysk with drones and missiles, Putin threatens from the Pacific to seize European ships and showcases naval power in the Far East.
As Kyiv strikes Novorossiysk with drones and missiles, Putin threatens from the Pacific to seize European ships and showcases naval power in the Far East.
On Wednesday, August 12, 2026, Ukraine launched a major drone attack on the Russian port and naval base of Novorossiysk, disabling two key grain export terminals. Simultaneously, Russian President Vladimir Putin observed large-scale naval exercises of the Pacific Fleet and threatened to seize European ships, highlighting how the war is increasingly expanding to strategic ports and international shipping routes.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took responsibility on Wednesday morning for the operation targeting the Novorossiysk naval base, calling it "the last major stronghold of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea." In a post on X, he stated that Ukraine used Palianytsia jet drones, Neptune missiles, and unmanned naval systems, claiming that air defense positions, piers, and port infrastructure were hit.
"The occupying fleet and all the infrastructure that supports it will not be safe as long as Russian aggression continues," Zelensky wrote.
According to Russian industry sources cited by Reuters, the attack disabled two main grain terminals in Novorossiysk, a key Black Sea export port that also serves as a base for Russian warships. The governor of the Krasnodar region reported that at least two people, including an eight-year-old child, were killed in the broader wave of attacks.
Novorossiysk Mayor Andrei Kravchenko said that more than two dozen residential buildings, four commercial facilities, and educational institutions were damaged, and water supply was suspended. Reuters reports that wheat futures on the Chicago Board of Trade rose by about 3 percent due to concerns over potential disruptions in Russian grain exports.
Thousands of kilometers to the east, Putin appeared on Wednesday on the Russian missile cruiser Varyag near Sakhalin, observing Pacific Fleet exercises. On that occasion, he issued a warning to European governments that are increasingly targeting Russia's so-called shadow fleet.
The European Union has expanded sanctions to hundreds of vessels, with some ships and crews detained for inspections, while certain European governments consider stricter maritime measures against ships suspected of evading sanctions, Reuters reported on Wednesday.
Quoting Putin, the Russian Foreign Ministry posted on X: "Attempts to seize Russian ships and sell our assets are pure piracy. If such plans are implemented, Russia will respond in kind-wherever we deem necessary, including in the Pacific Fleet's area of responsibility."
The warning came amid extensive Russian naval exercises spanning the Sea of Japan, the Sea of Okhotsk, and the northwestern Pacific. More than 13,000 military personnel and about 60 ships, submarines, and support vessels took part. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, around 30 aircraft, helicopters, and unmanned systems also participated.
Video provided by the East2West service shows Russian forces firing anti-ship missiles during the exercises. Bastion coastal missile systems launched Oniks cruise missiles at simulated enemy ships from Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands, while the corvette Smerch fired a Uran anti-ship cruise missile, according to East2West.
Putin accused NATO of expanding its presence in the Asia-Pacific and Arctic regions, pointing to new military alliances and planned weapons deployments that, he said, increase the potential for conflict.
The events unfolded as attacks continued on both sides. Reuters reports that Russia struck the Ukrainian port of Odesa, and a separate Russian attack set fire to a shopping center in Zaporizhzhia, further underscoring the pressure on ports and logistics infrastructure as the war approaches four and a half years.
Romania announced that its naval forces destroyed two suspected Russian Gerbera drones over the Black Sea, approximately 90 nautical miles from Constanta, according to East2West.
NATO announced that the North Atlantic Council met on Wednesday to discuss Russian airspace violations in Poland and Romania and recent drone incidents. A NATO spokesperson said that allies "condemned Russia for its actions, expressed solidarity with affected allies, [and] reaffirmed support for Ukraine."
Although there is no direct Croatian connection to these events, the expansion of the conflict to Black Sea shipping routes and potential disruptions in grain exports could affect global food prices and security across the broader European region.
