A drone reportedly hit Vladimir Putin’s primary frigate, Admiral Grigorovich, dealing a fresh setback to the Russian leader. The vessel, known for launching Kalibr cruise missiles at Ukraine, was struck in Novorossiysk, Russia’s Black Sea port, overnight from Sunday to Monday, as per Kyiv’s drone forces commander Robert Brovdi. The attack, part of a series targeting Novorossiysk, a key revenue source for Putin’s military, featured footage showing a drone approaching the frigate before impact.
While there is no independent verification of a direct hit, the proximity of a Ukrainian drone to a flagship Russian warship is a potential embarrassment for Putin and his air defenses. Brovdi stated that air defense missiles were fired from the ship during the assault, but the damage assessment is ongoing.
In a separate incident, reports indicate that the Russian-controlled floating drilling rig Sivash was hit by the Ukrainian navy. The operation was carried out by the Birds of the 1st Unmanned Systems Forces Centre, orchestrated by Ukraine’s security service, the SBU.
Furthermore, a Russian drone strike on Odesa, a southern Ukrainian port city, resulted in the deaths of two women and a two-year-old child, with significant damage to an apartment block. President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that eleven individuals were hospitalized, including a pregnant woman and two children, one of whom is less than a year old.
Since the initiation of the invasion over four years ago, Russia has relentlessly targeted civilian areas in Ukraine, causing more than 15,000 fatalities, according to the United Nations. Zelensky disclosed that in the past week alone, Russia launched over 2,800 attack drones, nearly 1,350 potent glide bombs, and more than 40 various missiles at Ukraine.
