Ukraine says it hit three Russian warships in Novorossiysk, one had recently launched Kalibr missiles at Kyiv

Ukrainian officials reported on September 9 that three Russian warships were hit in a combined missile and drone strike in Novorossiysk. The vessels targeted were a Project 21631 Buyan-M small missile ship, and the frigates Admiral Essen and Admiral Makarov. Ukrainian military intelligence agency HUR stated that the Admiral Essen was hit in its superstructure, leading to a fire. Ukraine's Navy confirmed the use of a Neptune cruise missile in the attack.

This was not the first time the Admiral Essen had been targeted, as it had been struck in August by Ukrainian forces, along with the Admiral Makarov and patrol ship Vasily Bykov. Satellite images showed damage to a Buyan-M small missile ship and potential strikes on the Admiral Makarov and a large landing ship Pyotr Morgunov, although the latter's attack failed to hit its target.

The Novorossiysk strike, conducted overnight into September 9, targeted not only the port and military infrastructure in the city but also various types of weapons. Fires were observed in the area, with the strongest heat signatures recorded at 3:45 a.m. Moscow time. Following previous Ukrainian attacks on Sevastopol, Russia had relocated a significant portion of its Black Sea Fleet to Novorossiysk. Ukraine has been systematically attacking this base with maritime drones, aerial drones, and missiles.