Ukrainian drones strike Russian Black Sea port city by air and sea, killing two and damaging Caspian Pipeline Consortium office

Ukrainian drones struck the Russian port city of Novorossiysk on Wednesday, attacking from both the air and the sea. The city is home to Russia’s largest seaport, which houses a major oil terminal and a naval base. Regional officials said two people were killed, seven others injured, and apartment buildings and cars damaged. Meanwhile, the local office of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium suspended operations after its building was hit. Here’s what we know so far about the attack.

On Wednesday afternoon, Ukrainian drones struck central Novorossiysk, a port city in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai, Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said. At the same time, naval drones attacked the city’s seaport, the largest in Russia and home to both the Caspian Pipeline Consortium’s (CPC) oil terminal and a Black Sea Fleet naval base.

Two people were killed and seven others, including a minor, were injured. All of the wounded were hospitalized, three of them in serious condition.

According to the regional emergency response headquarters, six residential buildings were damaged, as well as the Novorossiysk Hotel. The roof of one apartment building caught fire. Twenty cars were also damaged, three of which were completely destroyed.

Local authorities declared a state of emergency, and officials said drone attacks were still underway. The governor urged residents to “observe safety measures and, if possible, remain at home.”

The Caspian Pipeline Consortium said its local office suspended operations following the strike. The building was damaged and staff were evacuated. According to the CPC, two employees were injured, while “seriously wounded individuals not employed by the company” were also among the casualties.

Russia’s Federal Maritime and River Transport Agency said port infrastructure and ships in Novorossiysk were not damaged.

Because of the risk of further strikes, authorities in the neighboring town of Gelendzhik banned all vessels from going to sea, while residents were evacuated from coastal areas in Tuapse and Sochi.

Neither the Russian Defense Ministry nor the Ukrainian military has yet commented on the attack.