Ukraine’s drone war with Russia is continuing, with a series of recent successful strikes on Russian ships, including in the Sea of Azov. Now, per Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine has made a successful strike near Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Black Sea stronghold.
Putin New Year’s Message. Image Credit: Russian Government.
Putin Back on 2_2026 State Media Photo
“Mid-range strikes have also delivered results. In Gelendzhik, a patrol ship and a shadow fleet tanker were hit – effective work by the Ukrainian Navy, approximately 430 kilometers from the front line. Successful strikes were also carried out against three shadow fleet tankers in the Sea of Azov,” Zelensky said in a social media post on Tuesday.
Striking the Compound
Per the Wall Street Journal, a Ukrainian “sea drone” struck “close to a luxurious compound allegedly linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin.” The claim that the compound belonged to Putin was made by the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
The Journal identified the weapon in question as a Sargon-3000 sea drone. Per United 24 Media, Ukraine has released satellite images of the attack.
“We continue to reduce the potential of the Russian aggressor at sea,” the Ukrainian Navy said.
A Straight Arrow News report stated that the vessel that was struck was the “Izumrud,” or the Emerald, near the Black Sea coast. Russia’s Federal Security Service controls the vessel.
“The Izumrud was not a major warship, but it carried symbolic importance and had practical value as an FSB border patrol vessel,” Straight Arrow News said. The ship had participated in the 2018 seizure of Ukrainian naval vessels in the Kerch Strait, Ukraine’s Navy has said.
More Strikes by Ukraine
Zelensky, in the same post, touted other recent military successes by Ukraine.
“Our warriors continue imposing long-range sanctions on Russian enterprises and facilities fueling the war,” the Ukrainian leader posted.
This included some strikes on oil refineries.
“An oil refinery was hit in Bashkortostan, approximately 1,300 kilometers from the front line. I thank the units of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Security Service of Ukraine for their accuracy.
In the Krasnodar region, warriors of the Unmanned Systems Forces, the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, and the Security Service of Ukraine struck the Afipsky Oil Refinery, approximately 400 kilometers from the front line.
The Ukrainian president added that he hopes to bring an end to the war.
“I thank all our warriors whose successful operations are bringing the war back to where it came from. This war must be brought to an end, and all reasonable diplomatic proposals are on the table.”
The Sea of Azov Shuffle
In recent days, Ukraine has been striking Russian vessels in the Sea of Azov, a key waterway that connects Russia and Eastern Europe, with Ukraine claiming that it has struck more than 100 vessels in that area in the last ten days.
Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) Commander Major Robert “Magyar” Brovdi has also claimed that Ukrainian drones hit 10 Russian vessels in a single day.
“The peninsula’s transshipment infrastructure is being stung every night, traffic through the strait has stopped, and cargo unloading has been reduced to a minimum,” Brovdi wrote in a Telegram message this week.
“Ukrainian strikes against Russian seaborne gasoline transports over the past week represent a new phase in Ukraine’s efforts to isolate occupied Crimea from the Russian logistics network and to disrupt Russian seaborne shipping routes, especially for petroleum products and grain,” the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote this week.
As a result, Russia is planning to reroute shipping traffic via “alternative shipping routes” and may resort to “other modes of transport” in response to the drone strikes on those routes, Russia’s agriculture ministry said in a statement this week.
“The situation in the Azov Sea will not affect the domestic market’s food supply or our country’s export capabilities,” the ministry added.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, meanwhile, has accused Ukraine of “terrorism.”
“What the Ukrainian regime is doing goes beyond even piracy. Pirates, at least, plunder and keep the spoils for themselves.
But here, it benefits neither them nor anyone else – the goal is simply to cause damage and intimidate. It is terrorism, pure and simple,” Lavrov said in a statement this week.
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and a contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. Stephen, the co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
