Ukraine drones hit Novorossiysk as 11 Russian airports shut down

Ukrainian drones have struck targets in the Russian Black Sea city of Novorossiysk, damaging an oil facility, several residential buildings and a civilian vessel in the port, according to local authorities.

The regional emergency headquarters in Krasnodar said a blaze broke out at the Sheskharis oil trans-shipment complex after debris from downed drones fell onto the site, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

Emergency crews and specialist units are working at the scene. Initial reports suggested there were no casualties at the oil terminal.

Air-raid sirens sounded just before midnight. Novorossiysk’s mayor, Andrey Kravchenko, urged residents to take shelter and to avoid filming or sharing images of the attack or the work of emergency services.

The neighbouring resort city of Anapa also activated its public warning system after officials reported a threat of further drone attacks.

Local authorities later confirmed that three apartment buildings in Novorossiysk were damaged. In one block, fragments of a destroyed drone crashed into a flat, injuring a resident who was taken to the hospital. Other buildings — five and sixteen storeys high — suffered smashed windows, but no injuries were reported. No fires were recorded.

During what officials described as a “massive” drone barrage, debris also struck a civilian vessel moored in the port. Three crew members were hurt and taken to the hospital. The authorities did not identify the ship.

The overnight attacks prompted expanded flight restrictions across southern and central Russia. By early November 13, eleven airports had suspended arrivals and departures, including those in Gelendzhik, Volgograd, Penza, Saratov, Tambov, Krasnodar, Kazan, Nizhnekamsk, Orenburg, Samara and Ufa.

By Aghakazim Guliyev