Satellite Images: After the Attack on Novorossiysk, Russia's Black Sea Fleet May Have Lost Two Kalibr Missile Carriers

On August 12, 2026, units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, as part of a joint operation, struck the naval base in Novorossiysk, Krasnodar Krai. According to official statements from Kyiv, four warships were hit at once: the Project 11356R frigates "Admiral Makarov" and "Admiral Essen," the Project 21631 small missile boat "Buyan-M," and the Project 22160 patrol ship "Vasily Bykov." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that the operation was carried out at a distance of more than 300 kilometers from the front line, using "Palianytsia" jet drones, "Neptune" missiles, and unmanned maritime systems. Now, a week later, the first data on the actual scale of damage to the frigates specifically has emerged — the ships that carry the main strike weapons of the Black Sea Fleet.

Satellite Images and the Kalibr Launchers

The portal "Militarnyi," cited by RBC-Ukraine, analyzed materials from OSINT researchers Absolutely Reliable Source, who published a satellite image of the base in Novorossiysk. According to the analysts' assessment, damage to the bow sections of the ships is recorded: the deck is deformed, and most importantly, the 8-cell module of the universal shipborne vertical launch system (UKSK 3S14), designed specifically for launching Kalibr cruise missiles, has been destroyed. Additionally, according to this data, the "Trebovaniye-M" combat information and control system, as well as radar systems, electronic warfare and communications complexes, have been damaged. If these observations are confirmed, both frigates will effectively lose the ability to use their main strike weapons.

Strike on the Flagship and Threat to the Fleet's Potential

Particular attention is warranted for the condition of the "Admiral Makarov" — the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet. According to available data, the hit struck the area of the vertical launch systems, causing an internal detonation and the burning out of the UKSK 3S14 launch canisters. Analysts also point to damage to radar, electronic warfare, and communications systems. If the damage to the launch systems on both frigates is confirmed, the Black Sea Fleet will lose two of its main Kalibr carriers at once. By preliminary estimate, both ships will require lengthy repairs, and their return to the combat roster could take no less than a year.

Contradictory Data

The key caveat: the extent of damage to the frigates at this time is based exclusively on the analysis of a single satellite image and has not been officially confirmed by either side — this information requires further verification. Moreover, there is an inconsistency in the chronology of repeated strikes in open sources: in one paragraph of the report on the strike "in early 2026," the context refers to the "Admiral Makarov," whereas the attached photo captioned "frigate damage" is dated March 2026 and labeled as the "Admiral Essen." Thus, the exact list of ships that had previously sustained damage and their current condition remain a matter of discussion and are not an unambiguously established fact.

Context: The 11356R Series and the Third Frigate

The "Admiral Makarov" and the "Admiral Essen" belong to the Project 11356R "Burevestnik" — a series of multirole frigates developed on the basis of the export Talwar-class ships built for the Indian Navy. The Black Sea Fleet included three frigates of this series. The only surviving one — the "Admiral Grigorovich" — is now in the Baltic region: it was last spotted when it opened warning fire on a British yacht in the Strait of Dover, and in April, according to available data, it escorted several tankers of the "shadow fleet" through the strait. The loss of two of the three ships of the series significantly reduces the missile potential of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea.

How the Operation Was Carried Out

According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the strike on Novorossiysk was delivered from a distance of over 300 kilometers from the front line. The operation employed "Palianytsia" jet drones, "Neptune" cruise missiles, and unmanned maritime systems. The combined use of means of different classes made it possible to strike several large surface ships standing on combat duty in the base. The results of the attack, in particular the actual condition of the frigates' launch systems, will be clarified as new satellite data and open-source confirmations become available.