Russia Reports Surface Drone Attack After Kalibr Carriers Deployed in the Sea

Authorities in Novorossiysk, Krasnodar Krai, have issued an alert and blocked traffic along the coast due to the threat of a surface drone attack, local officials have reported.

Russian monitoring channels also indicated a potential threat in the Kerch area and the Kerch Strait.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Navy reported that there are currently 15 Russian ships in the Black Sea, five of which are carrying Kalibr cruise missiles, with a total salvo capacity of up to 34 missiles.

Novorossiysk, where the main forces of the Russian Black Sea Fleet are based after their withdrawal from Crimea, has frequently been targeted by Ukrainian UAVs, and less commonly by surface drones.

While the relocation of Russian forces partially made it harder to target Russian ships, it created new challenges for them.

The port infrastructure of Novorossiysk was not initially designed to accommodate such a large number of ships, and particularly, it lacked the capability to load Kalibr cruise missiles onto surface vessels.

However, in early November 2024, Dmytro Pletenchuk, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Naval Forces, reported during a telethon that the necessary infrastructure had been established.

The most recent attack by surface drones in the Novorossiysk area occurred in September 2024.

In January 2025, a large-scale drone assault targeted the port infrastructure of Novorossiysk, causing a major fire.

Local media reported that the city’s air defense systems were inactive during the strike. Residents claimed that at least seven impacts were recorded at the port.

In April 2024, Russian forces launched Kalibr cruise missile strikes against Ukraine on two occasions — April 6 and April 24.

The strike on April 6 was significant as it demonstrated Russia’s intention to disregard any ceasefire in the Black Sea, violating agreements made during talks between American and Russian delegations in Riyadh on March 24, 2025.