Unverified reports circulating on Russian Telegram channels claim that several Russian warships were damaged during a large-scale drone strike on the port of Novorossiysk – home to the remnants of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet – earlier this week.
However, none of the assertions have been independently confirmed, and neither Kyiv nor Moscow has officially commented.
The Russian Telegram channel “Spy Dossier,” which describes itself as being run by “an employee of one of the special services,” reported on the morning of March 4 that at least 200 attack UAVs were used in the early hours of March 2 to target port infrastructure in Novorossiysk.
According to the channel, five warships were damaged, including the minesweeper Valentin Pikul, which allegedly sustained significant damage.
The report also mentioned possible damage to the ships Yeysk and Kasimov, and claimed that 3 servicemen were killed and 16 wounded.
The Valentin Pikul is a minesweeper that joined Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in 2001. It is designed to escort vessels, conduct mine reconnaissance and clearance, and support minelaying operations.
At the time of publication, Kyiv Post was unable to independently verify the claims, and neither Ukrainian nor Russian officials had commented on the reports.
Separately, Ukrainian noted media speculations suggesting that an Admiral Grigorovich-class frigate had been destroyed in Novorossiysk.
Former Verkhovna Rada deputy Anton Gerashchenko initially wrote that Russia had likely lost such a frigate, but later removed the reference from his Telegram channel.
Exilenova+ subsequently stated that the information about the destruction of the Admiral Grigorovich was false.
“The Admiral Grigorovich has not been seen in the port of Novorossiysk for a long time,” the report read.
The channel claimed that the Admiral Makarov and Admiral Essen were visible in the port, publishing what it said were satellite images.
In its latest update, Exilenova+ said that, based on available information and recent events, it has analyzed images of the Novorossiysk military port together with specialists from the CyberBoroshno and Harbuz teams.
“Probable damage is under analysis. We hope that the relevant services will share more detailed information, because an operation of this scale, if the claims are confirmed, is a sensation,” the Telegram channel wrote.
Russian media previously reported in late June 2025 that the frigate Admiral Grigorovich, which had been deployed in the Mediterranean since 2021, had left the region after a port call in Algeria and was likely heading to Baltiysk.
Notably, Ukraine’s General Staff stated in its morning update on March 3 that a Russian ship had been destroyed. No further details were provided, but multiple media outlets tied the information to the destruction of the Russian warship in Novorossiysk.
On March 2, Kyiv Post, citing sources in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), reported that drones from the SBU’s Alpha Special Operations Center, together with other Defense Forces units, had targeted military and oil infrastructure in Novorossiysk.
The source said warships were hit but did not specify which vessels or the extent of the damage.
On the evening of March 1, Novorossiysk was attacked by drones. Russian Telegram channels described “dozens of powerful explosions” and a major fire at the port’s oil terminal.
There were also claims that the city was attacked from the sea by unmanned surface vessels.
Novorossiysk’s oil infrastructure was previously hit in a major Ukrainian strike on Nov. 25, 2025, which reportedly damaged the Sheskharis oil-loading terminal, air defense systems, and a large landing ship.
However, on Feb. 25, 2026, Ukraine’s ambassador to Washington, Olha Stefanishyna, said the US had sent a formal diplomatic démarche after the November strike, citing concerns that American economic interests had been affected.
The Sheskharis terminal, owned by Russia’s state pipeline company Transneft, handled Kazakh oil transported via the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, whose shareholders include US energy giant Chevron.
At this stage, the full extent of the March 2 strike – including possible damage to Russian naval vessels – remains unclear.