Ukraine launched a massive drone attack on the Russian Black Sea coast overnight, killing three people and hitting the port city of Novorossiysk, the governor of the Krasnodar region said on Wednesday.
Veniamin Kondratyev made the announcement on Telegram, saying an 8-year-old child was among those killed in the city. He said at least 24 people were injured and spoke of damage to around 60 residential buildings in Novorossiysk alone.
Earlier reports had also mentioned damage to four industrial sites. Kondratyev said 20 residential buildings were damaged in Gelendzhik, with further damage reported in the Temryuk district and in Anapa.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the attacks on Novorossiysk, saying drones, cruise missiles and maritime drones had been used. "Strikes on air defence positions, jetties and seaport infrastructure have been confirmed," he wrote on Telegram.
In a later post on X, Zelensky said the "unique operation" targeted the naval base in Novorossiysk, which he said is "the last major stronghold of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea, more than 300 kilometres from the front line."
Reports from Russian and Ukrainian Telegram channels said the city's naval port, commercial port and oil loading terminal were hit. The US space agency NASA's FIRMS fire detection system also showed fires at those locations.
According to the state-owned agricultural export company OZK, a grain terminal was damaged. No staff members were injured.
Russia's Defence Ministry in Moscow said 502 Ukrainian combat drones had been intercepted overnight, a comparatively high number. Heavy attacks were also reported from the port city of Sevastopol on the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014.
Russian airstrikes hit the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhya overnight, among other locations. Regional authorities said a large fire broke out at a hardware store there, and power outages were reported.
Ukraine has been defending itself against a full-scale Russian invasion for nearly four and a half years.