Leaked Telegram messages between former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and President Vladimir Putin revealed the two leaders discussing strikes on commercial ships belonging to hostile nations, as Ukraine launched a nocturnal assault on Russia's Black Sea naval stronghold. In the leaked exchanges, Medvedev is seen railing against "European dogs" for seizing shadow fleet vessels. Russia routinely exploits the illicit maritime network to circumvent internationally imposed sanctions and bankroll its military campaigns.
Medvedev's threats in leaked texts
"Those European dogs have no right to detain commercial vessels sailing under non-Russian flags but carrying cargo in Russia's interests," Medvedev wrote. "The vast majority of Western European vessels also sail under flags of convenience. So, Russia has the right to attack any commercial vessel belonging to enemy countries, whether in our waters or neutral waters, if there is sufficient reason to suspect it is carrying cargo in the enemy's interests. Any cargo! And there are plenty of such vessels," he added.
The former president further contended that Russian armed forces "are capable of dramatically expanding their operations beyond the Black Sea!" It remains uncertain precisely when the messages were sent or how Putin responded.
Ukraine's unique strike on Novorossiysk
Nonetheless, reports of the exchanges emerge as Ukrainian anti-ship missiles, jet-powered aerial drones and sea drones launched a devastating assault on a significant Russian naval base on the Black Sea coast in a "unique" nighttime strike, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed. Advanced drones designed by Kyiv since Russia's invasion more than four years ago have consistently struck Russian vessels in the Black Sea, including warships and oil tankers. Both nations have Black Sea coastlines.
Ukraine's military "carried out a unique operation targeting the naval base in Novorossiysk - the last major stronghold of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea," President Zelenskyy announced in a social media post on Wednesday. The strike targeted air defences, piers and other port facilities in the Krasnodar region city, he confirmed.
Casualties and damage reported
Krasnodar region Governor Veniamin Kondratyev revealed that hundreds of Ukrainian drones bombarded Novorossiysk, Anapa and Gelendzhik as well as the Temryuk district overnight. Russia's Defence Ministry in Moscow claimed its air defences had intercepted more than 500 Ukrainian drones. In Novorossiysk, an eight year old child lost their life in the assault, while a person wounded when their home in the Temryuk region was struck subsequently died in hospital, Kondratyev confirmed. He added that a further 12 people across the region sustained injuries. Wreckage from destroyed drones landed on the grounds of four industrial facilities and 21 residential buildings, according to Kondratyev, though officials provided no further details regarding the extent of any damage.
Novorossiysk is also home to a strategically vital international oil terminal. The Grushovaya oil transshipment complex near the city ranks amongst the largest transshipment hubs in southern Russia for oil and petroleum products. Last February, the U.S. State Department voiced its concerns over Ukraine's strikes on Novorossiysk, warning that they had affected American oil interests in Kazakhstan. The Caspian Pipeline Consortium runs a pipeline stretching from the Caspian coastline in northwest Kazakhstan through to Novorossiysk. The pipeline carries a substantial proportion of crude oil exports from three of Kazakhstan's largest fields, in which prominent American energy giants Chevron and ExxonMobil hold significant stakes.
In illegally annexed Crimea, air defences intercepted and brought down 115 Ukrainian drones over Sevastopol overnight, according to the city's Russia-appointed governor Mikhail Razvozhayev, who confirmed that 10 apartment blocks and 25 private residences had sustained damage.
