On the night of 2 March, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), together with the Defense Forces, struck Russian military facilities in Novorossiysk Bay. As a result, the naval minesweeper Valentin Pikul was hit, as was the anti-submarine ship Yeysk, which sustained serious damage, UNIAN reports.
Three Russian sailors were killed, and 14 others were wounded. During the attack, the 30N6E2 guidance radar of the S-300PMU-2 Favorit system, a Pantsir-S2 air defense missile and gun system, and six out of seven oil-loading berths at the Sheskharis terminal were also destroyed.
The fire in the port lasted throughout the night. Novorossiysk is located 350-400 km southeast of the frontline in Ukraine.
There are no safe zones for Russian facilities
“The SBU systematically reaches the Russian where it considers itself safe — in ports, at bases, and deep in the rear. There are no ‘safe zones’ for Russian military facilities,” an SBU source has commented on the operation.
According to this logic, strikes on infrastructure along Russia’s Black Sea coast demonstrate that even rear naval hubs remain vulnerable.
PK-10 detonation and damage to EW systems and radars
According to the CyberBoroshno project, the attack hit the midship superstructure of the frigate Admiral Essen. There was a detonation of PK-10 passive countermeasure launchers, designed to deploy chaff and thermal decoys.
Among the damaged systems were the TK-25 electronic warfare complex, the MR-90 “Orekh” target-illumination radars, and the Fregat-M2M surveillance radar, responsible for long-range detection of air and surface targets.
Damage to these elements significantly affects the ship’s ability to conduct air defense and coordinate combat operations.
Molniya missile boat and critical stern section: strike on engines, generators, and close-range artillery
Damage was also reported to the stern section of a Russian Project 1241 Molniya missile boat. This area houses the main engines and engine room, diesel generators, and two AK-630M 30mm artillery mounts that provide close-range air defense for the vessel.
Damage to the stern directly impacts the ship’s mobility and combat capability.
The strike on ships, air defense systems, and oil infrastructure in Novorossiysk indicates an expansion of the geography of Ukrainian attacks and systematic efforts to degrade Russia’s capabilities at sea and in the rear.
