Ukraine GUR Strikes Russian Frigate Admiral Essen at Novorossiysk

Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) announced on September 9 that its operators, in a joint deep-strike operation with Ukraine's Defense Forces, struck the infrastructure of Russia's Black Sea Fleet naval base at Novorossiysk and the Kalibr cruise missile-carrying frigate Admiral Essen (Project 11356).

Damage to the Warship

A fire broke out on the upper deck superstructure of Admiral Essen following the hits. The frigate is one of Russia's primary carriers of Kalibr cruise missiles, regularly fired at Ukrainian civilian infrastructure.

Overnight, monitoring sources had reported drones attacking Novorossiysk, with a fire at a fuel oil terminal. The mayor confirmed the blaze but attributed it to falling debris. Open-source analysts identified damage to at least one storage tank at Novorossiysk Fuel Oil Terminal, part of Russia's largest port complex by cargo volume.

Repeated Strikes on Admiral Essen

This is not the first time the vessel was hit. Ukrainian forces struck it in March 2026, when sources said it could no longer launch Kalibr missiles, and again in August 2026 alongside Admiral Makarov and patrol vessel Vasyl Bykov. The repeated targeting of the same ship reflects Ukraine's campaign to degrade Russia's Black Sea Fleet.