Putin Humiliated as He Suffers Nearly $750 Million Blow
At least three Russian vessels were hit in a fiery attack on Novorossiysk.
Contributor/Getty Images
Vladimir Putin’s boasts of imminent victory in Ukraine fell flat Thursday as an overnight drone attack took out three warships on Russian territory.
Ukraine’s General Staff announced that its forces had struck at least three Russian naval vessels stationed at the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, according to the Kyiv Post.
The outlet confirmed that the Wednesday attack had hit the small minesweeper Zheleznyakov, the Admiral Essen frigate, and the large landing ship Pyotr Morgunov—all multimillion-dollar vessels.
Production costs for the Admiral Essen frigate range from $450 to $500 million, while the Project 11711 Pyotr Morgunov costs an estimated $160 million.
The Admiral Essen was one of the three Russian ships hit by Ukrainian strikes on Wednesday.
YORUK ISIK/REUTERS
The exact procurement cost for the Project 12660 Zheleznyakov is unclear, but the smaller Project 12700 minesweeper ship costs roughly $70 million, according to an insurance contract obtained by TASS.
The Ukrainian military also said it struck fuel storage facilities located at a port in southern Russia’s Krasnodar region, as well as a Russian port on the Caspian Sea, the Kyiv Post reported.
A fire erupted at the Russian port after Ukrainian strikes.
SOCIAL MEDIA/via REUTERS
Ukraine struck the Makhachkala Commercial Sea Port, located along the Caspian Sea in the Russian Republic of Dagestan, in a separate overnight operation, causing a fire at the facility, the General Staff said.
Get the best of The Beast delivered right to your inbox
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
The Ukrainian military classified the ice-free deep-water port as a significant transportation and logistics hub that Moscow uses to evade Western sanctions and move military supplies between Russia and Iran. The Kyiv Post said the military’s claims about the cargo couldn’t be independently verified.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Thursday that military forces had carried out strikes on several Russian infrastructure targets over the past 24 hours, including sites in the Moscow, Voronezh, Astrakhan, and Bryansk regions.
The strikes stretched as far as Siberia, marking Ukraine’s deepest inside Russia since the war began.
Ukraine's Special Operations Forces shared news the strike on X.
@SOF_UKR/X
“Russia continues its daily terror against Ukraine. And every day, it receives a just response,” Zelensky wrote in a post on X.
Ukraine’s offensive into Moscow has forced Russians to protect themselves, with some citizens adding protective sheets over their windows to shield them from Ukrainian drone blasts.
Russian firm Solarte has seen demand for its shatter-resistant window films surge as Ukraine ramps up its drone strikes.
Ramil Sitdikov/Ramil Sitdikov/Reuters
“These are unsettled times for us right now, and I decided to protect my family,” Yuri, a Russian citizen, told Reuters.
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
Sign in or create an account
Login dialog
Loading comments…