Ukraine's Drones Hit 5 Russian Warships and a Caspian Port Hub in One Night

Ukrainian forces launched a wave of drone and missile strikes overnight, hitting five Russian warships and a key port on the Caspian Sea, according to military officials. The attacks mark one of Ukraine's most ambitious operations against Russian naval and oil infrastructure since the war began.

Ukraine's general staff said its forces struck a Russian warship docked at its own pier — one of a short list of vessels used to shell Ukrainian cities with cruise missiles. The attack used a Neptune missile, with drones flying alongside it [239134]. The same night's operation also hit three more vessels and the port's fuel-oil storage [239134].

Separately, a fire broke out at the Makhachkala port in the Caspian Sea after Ukrainian forces struck its oil infrastructure. The port is a key logistics hub for Russia and Iran [239136]. Additional attacks damaged three Russian warships in Novorossiysk [239136].

The strikes came as Ukraine's military reported destroying a record 24,000 Russian drones in August. These small aircraft, often called copter drones, fly over the battlefield to find targets. Each drone that spots a target can call in a full attack, so every drone shot down is one less "eye in the sky" before it can report back [239148].

Meanwhile, in the Middle East, a ship was hit by an unidentified weapon in the Strait of Hormuz, British maritime authorities reported. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a British naval group that monitors ships in the region, said it has no information on the crew's condition or how much damage the vessel suffered [239944]. The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow passage between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. About one-fifth of the world's oil passes through it, making it one of the most important shipping routes on Earth [239944].