Ukraine Drones Strike Russian Port Novorossiysk

Ukrainian drones struck the Russian port city of Novorossiysk overnight on September 9, 2026, hitting a major fuel-oil terminal and prompting conflicting accounts of damage and casualties. Russian officials reported that four people, including a child, were killed and 29 injured in the attacks, while Ukrainian commanders claimed to have damaged or destroyed several warships at the city's naval base. The overnight assault targeted the Novorossiysk fuel-oil terminal, a key facility within Russia's largest seaport. Images and open-source analysis from monitoring channels indicated a fire at the terminal, with at least one storage tank reportedly damaged. Novorossiysk Mayor Andrei Kravchenko initially stated that air defenses were engaging drones and that falling debris had struck several enterprises and a residential building, claiming there were no casualties. However, Krasnodar Region Governor Veniamin Kondratyev later provided a different account, reporting four deaths and 29 injuries across the city. He stated that a church, a kindergarten, three private homes, and five apartment buildings were damaged. Damage was also reported in the nearby town of Anapa.