Ukraine strikes Novorossiysk, warns of Russian mobilization
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- Ukraine struck the Novorossiysk naval base with anti-ship missiles and drones in what Zelenskyy called a "unique" operation targeting air defences, piers, and port infrastructure — the last major Russian Black Sea stronghold after ships relocated from Sevastopol in Crimea.
- Krasnodar region Governor Veniamin Kondratyev reported 3 deaths including an 8-year-old child and 24 wounded from the overnight drone barrage, with two of Novorossiysk's three grain terminals damaged and one halting operations, per Russian business daily Vedomosti.
- Zelenskyy said Ukrainian intelligence indicated Putin was planning "an additional rapid mobilization of several hundred thousand Russians by the end of the year," though Moscow showed no public sign of a call-up and Russian lawmaker Andrei Gurulyov called it deliberate disinformation to destabilize Russia.
- Russia's September 2022 mobilization decree remains open-ended, allowing authorities to resume a call-up if required; Moscow has relied on volunteers with high pay since the unpopular 2022 partial mobilization of roughly 300,000 men, which triggered a mass exodus.
- Zelenskyy warned Russia is expanding production of ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones that are hard for Ukrainian air defences to counter, while Ukraine is pushing to grow its own weapons output through agreements with partner countries.
- Putin threatened retaliation against Western nations for boarding sanctioned Russian oil tankers, calling such seizures "piracy and robbery" — as Novorossiysk's Grushovaya oil terminal, a hub for Caspian Pipeline Consortium crude from Kazakhstan (where Chevron and ExxonMobil hold stakes), sits near the conflict zone.
- Russia fired 138 long-range drones and missiles overnight with damage at 16 Ukrainian locations; Russian-installed Sevastopol head Mikhail Razvozhayev reported 115 drones downed and damage to 10 apartment buildings and 25 private houses, while a Kherson drone strike killed two and a Zaporizhzhia strike destroyed a shopping mall.
Why it matters: Ukraine's ability to strike Novorossiysk — where Russia consolidated its Black Sea fleet after losing Sevastopol — underscores Kyiv's reach even as Russia continues nightly long-range drone and missile strikes across Ukrainian regions. Zelenskyy's claim that Putin is planning to call up "several hundred thousand" would reverse Moscow's reliance on paid volunteers and revive a politically toxic step Russia has avoided since 2022.
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