Ukraine Keeps Missing Russia's Last Few Black Sea Warships
Drones get through, but strike too lightly
The Ukrainian military claimed it droned four Russian warships in the port of Novorossiysk in southern Russia on the night of Aug. 12.
Big if true. But be skeptical.
The explosive one-way drones struck four of the seven or eight combatants belonging to the Russian Black Sea Fleet that are capable of firing Kalibr cruise missiles, the Ukrainian general staff reported.
“Information is being clarified,” the general staff noted.
The initial clarification isn’t particularly encouraging for the Ukrainians, however. Overhead imagery from Aug. 12 might hint at scorch marks on or around some ships. But there’s no obvious structural damage.
The good news for Russia is its last few useful warships on the Black Sea are apparently still intact. The bad news is that more attacks are almost certainly coming, and soon. There’s been a steady drumbeat of attacks on Novorossiysk in recent months.
