Ukrainian armed forces carried out a unique nighttime operation against a key Russian naval base on the Black Sea coast with anti-ship missiles, drones and unmanned boats, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said today, quoted by the Associated Press, BTA reported.
Ukrainian-developed drones have repeatedly attacked Russian ships in the Black Sea, including warships and oil tankers. Ukraine's unmanned fleet has managed to limit the movements of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, which once dominated the Black Sea, the AP notes.
However, Ukrainian officials say Russian President Vladimir Putin is determined to continue the war, even though Russian forces are advancing slowly and at a high cost on the battlefield.
Putin is planning "an additional rapid mobilization of several hundred thousand Russians by the end of the year," Zelensky said on social media last night, citing information from Ukrainian intelligence services.
The Ukrainian military "carried out a unique operation against the naval base in Novorossiysk - the last major bastion of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea," Zelensky said on social media today.
The attack hit air defense systems and port infrastructure in the city of Novorossiysk, which is located in Russia's Krasnodar Territory.