Ukrainian Drone Strikes Hit Novorossiysk, Injuring Eight and Cutting Power Across Russia

At least eight people, including two children, were injured Monday after Ukrainian drones struck Novorossiysk, a major Russian Black Sea port city. Local authorities confirmed that several residential buildings sustained damage during the attack, with the mayor reporting that drone debris hit at least one high-rise apartment complex.

Russia's military reported that air defense systems intercepted 148 Ukrainian drones over a three-hour window, yet the strikes still triggered widespread power outages affecting nearly 500,000 households across multiple regions. Emergency crews were mobilized to restore electricity as quickly as possible.

Novorossiysk serves as Russia's largest Black Sea export hub, making it a strategically significant target. The city is also home to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal, which handles oil exports from Kazakhstan and counts major American energy companies — including Chevron and ExxonMobil — among its shareholders. When air raid alerts are issued in the area, oil terminal operations are typically suspended, disrupting export activity almost immediately.

Ukraine has been escalating its campaign against Russian energy infrastructure, targeting key oil export facilities on both the Baltic and Black seas. The strategy is aimed at cutting into Moscow's oil revenues, which remain a critical source of funding for its ongoing military operations.

Separately, a drone strike in Russia's Belgorod border region on Sunday killed a civil defense volunteer, highlighting the continued vulnerability of Russian territory to Ukrainian aerial attacks.

In Russian-controlled areas of eastern Ukraine, power has been gradually restored to major cities including Donetsk and Makiivka following earlier Ukrainian strikes on energy infrastructure. Similar restoration work was also underway in Russian-held parts of the Zaporizhzhia region, where mass outages had left communities without electricity.

Ukraine has not officially commented on the latest wave of strikes.