Ukrainian Defence Forces struck Russian Kalibr cruise missile carriers in the port of Novorossiysk using Neptune missiles during a night attack on September 9.
Military outlet Defense Express reported that the strike targeted two Project 11356R Burevestnik frigates, Admiral Essen and Admiral Makarov, along with an unnamed Project 21631 Buyan-M small missile ship. Released satellite imagery shows significant damage to both Admiral Essen and the Buyan-M vessel.
The strike on Admiral Essen hit the front section of the superstructure, destroying the bridge, several combat system control posts, and operational units while starting a fire on board. Defense Express described the damage to Admiral Essen as critical, while the extent of the damage to Admiral Makarov remains to be clarified. Both frigates had previously suffered damage in earlier drone attacks.
Novorossiysk is a major Russian port city and naval base located in Krasnodar Krai on the eastern coast of the Black Sea. Russian naval commanders moved much of the Black Sea Fleet there to escape Ukrainian strikes on Crimea. The attack was carried out using Neptune missiles, a Ukrainian land-based anti-ship cruise missile system, against ships armed with long-range Kalibr cruise missiles.
Damage to Small Missile Ship
The unnamed Buyan-M small missile ship suffered severe damage to its stern, which was torn open by the strike. The stern contains the main engine and power rooms, housing diesel power units manufactured by the German company MTU or Chinese suppliers that were introduced following Western sanctions.
Defense Express analysts stated that the vessel is unlikely to navigate under its own power and will require extensive repairs at a specialized facility. If Russian authorities choose to repair the ship, they could attempt to tow it along internal river routes.
Buyan-M corvettes have a draught of about 2.6 metres, making them suitable for shallow waterways. Analysts cited the example of the Buyan-M corvette Velikiy Ustyug, which was damaged in June 2022 and moved along the Don River, the Volga-Don Canal, and the Volga River to a repair base for the Caspian Flotilla in Astrakhan. By late July 2022, that ship participated in a naval parade in Saint Petersburg after using river routes connecting the Sea of Azov, Caspian Sea, Baltic Sea, and White Sea. Russia could attempt to send the damaged Buyan-M to the Zelenodolsk Plant named after A.M. Gorky near Kazan, where the class was originally constructed.
Frigates Trapped in the Black Sea
Russian forces cannot perform a similar transfer for Admiral Essen or Admiral Makarov. The frigates have a draught ranging between 4.2 and 4.6 metres, which is deeper than the 3 to 3.5 metre depth of the Volga-Don Canal.
The Bosphorus strait, controlled by Turkey, remains closed to foreign warships under the 1936 Montreux Convention, leaving the frigates unable to leave the Black Sea region. Analysts noted that Sevastopol in occupied Crimea is the only remaining facility where full repairs could be attempted, though doing so would leave the warships even more vulnerable to destruction by Ukrainian forces.
