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Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened Wednesday to prehend European vessels successful retaliation if European countries statesman seizing Russian merchant ships, arsenic Ukraine launched a large overnight onslaught connected a cardinal Russian Black Sea naval and commercialized hub and Moscow staged large-scale warfare games successful the Pacific.
The developments underscore a increasing conflict astatine sea: Ukraine is hitting 1 of Russia’s astir important Black Sea naval and export hubs, portion Moscow is informing it could prehend European vessels and flexing its naval powerfulness successful the Pacific. Though the events are not straight linked, they amusement however the warfare is progressively extending beyond the beforehand lines into strategical ports and planetary shipping routes.
Ukraine hammered the larboard metropolis of Novorossiysk successful a monolithic overnight drone onslaught that enactment 2 large atom terminals retired of operation, according to Russian manufacture sources cited by Reuters connected Aug. 12. Novorossiysk is simply a large Black Sea export hub and besides serves arsenic a basal for Russian warships that Moscow relocated determination aft repeated Ukrainian attacks connected its Black Sea Fleet successful Crimea.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed work Wednesday greeting for an cognition targeting the Novorossiysk naval base, calling it "the past large stronghold of the Russian fleet successful the Black Sea." In a station connected X, Zelenskyy said Ukraine utilized Palianytsia jet-powered drones, Neptune missiles and unmanned naval systems and claimed hits connected air-defense positions, piers and larboard infrastructure.
UKRAINE LAUNCHES WHAT APPEARS TO BE ONE OF ITS LARGEST DRONE ATTACKS AGAINST RUSSIA: REPORT
Russian President Vladimir Putin is welcomed connected committee a rocket cruiser "Varyag" arsenic helium observes a subject drill of Pacific fleet, successful Russia's acold eastbound Sakhalin Region, Russia, August 12, 2026. (Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Pool via Reuters)
"The concern fleet and each the infrastructure supporting it volition not beryllium harmless arsenic agelong arsenic Russian aggression continues," Zelenskyy wrote.
The politician of Russia’s Krasnodar portion said astatine slightest 2 people, including an 8-year-old child, were killed successful the wider question of attacks. Novorossiysk Mayor Andrei Kravchenko said much than 2 twelve residential buildings, 4 businesses and acquisition facilities were damaged and the city’s h2o proviso was suspended. Reuters reported that Chicago wheat futures roseate astir 3% amid concerns implicit imaginable disruptions to Russian atom exports.
Separately Wednesday, thousands of miles to the east, Putin appeared aboard the Russian rocket cruiser Varyag adjacent Sakhalin portion observing Pacific Fleet exercises and issued a informing to European governments progressively targeting Russia’s alleged shadiness fleet.
The European Union has expanded sanctions against hundreds of vessels and detained immoderate ships and their crews for checks, portion immoderate European governments are considering tougher maritime enforcement against vessels suspected of sanctions evasion, Reuters reported Wednesday.
REPORT WARNS RUSSIA USING SHADOW FLEET TO PROBE NATO DRONE DEFENSES
A damaged backstage location pursuing an overnight attack, what section authorities called a Ukrainian drone strike, successful the people of the Russia-Ukraine struggle successful Novorossiysk, Russia, successful this inactive representation taken from video released connected August 12, 2026. (Operations Headquarters of Krasnodar Region/Handout via Reuters)
Quoting Putin, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote connected X, "Attempts to prehend Russian vessels & merchantability disconnected our spot are outright piracy. If specified plans are implemented, Russia volition respond successful benignant – wherever we deem necessary, including wrong the Pacific Fleet’s country of responsibility."
The informing came against the backdrop of sweeping Russian naval exercises. The drills stretched crossed the Sea of Japan, Sea of Okhotsk and Northwest Pacific and progressive much than 13,000 unit and astir 60 ships, submarines and enactment vessels. Russian Defense Ministry figures reported separately enactment the fig of participating aircraft, helicopters and unmanned systems astatine astir 30.
Video supplied by East2West showed Russian forces firing anti-ship missiles during the drills. Bastion coastal rocket systems launched Oniks cruise missiles astatine simulated force ships from Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands, portion the Smerch corvette fired a Uran anti-ship cruise missile, according to East2West.
Putin besides utilized his Pacific quality to impeach NATO of expanding its beingness successful the Asia-Pacific and Arctic regions, pointing to caller subject alliances and planned weapons deployments that helium said were expanding the imaginable for conflict.
RUSSIA PREPARING HYBRID ATTACKS ON NATO'S EASTERN FLANK, INTELLIGENCE WARNS
A firefighter extinguishes a occurrence that appeared aft Russian drone strikes, amid Russia's onslaught connected Ukraine, successful Kyiv region, Ukraine August 12, 2026. (Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters)
The developments unfolded arsenic attacks continued connected some sides. Reuters reported that Russia struck the Ukrainian larboard of Odesa and that a abstracted Russian onslaught acceptable occurrence to a buying promenade successful Zaporizhzhia, underscoring the continuing unit connected ports and logistics infrastructure arsenic the warfare approaches 4 and a fractional years.
Separately, Romania said its naval forces destroyed 2 suspected Russian Gerbera drones implicit the Black Sea, astir 90 nautical miles from Constanta, according to East2West.
Romanian naval forces destruct 2 suspected Russian Gerbera drones implicit the Black Sea, astir 90 nautical miles disconnected Constanta, according to East2West. (p)
NATO said its North Atlantic Council met Wednesday to sermon Russian airspace violations successful Poland and Romania and caller drone incidents. A NATO spokesperson said allies "condemned Russia for actions, expressed solidarity with allies affected, [and] reaffirmed enactment to Ukraine."
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Reuters contributed to this report.
Efrat (Effie) Lachter is simply a newsman for Fox News Digital with much than 15 years of acquisition covering conflict, planetary affairs, quality rights and governmental accountability. She has directed and produced much than 200 documentary segments crossed much than 40 countries, documenting conflicts, humanitarian crises, corruption, quality trafficking, gender-based unit and the quality stories down large satellite events.
Lachter’s reporting has taken her into struggle zones and situation areas crossed the Middle East, Europe, Asia and Africa. Her enactment has included uncovering quality trafficking networks, revealing an ISIS underground torture situation successful Syria, documenting the warfare successful Ukraine and interviewing elder governmental figures and satellite leaders. She was besides among the Western journalists who entered Russia aft the warfare began to bring testimonies from Putin’s opposition. Lachter is the recipient of the 2022 Peres Center for Peace Award and was a 2023–2024 Knight-Wallace Journalism Fellow astatine the University of Michigan. She besides won 2 Rockower Awards for Excellence successful Reporting. She holds a bachelor's grade successful connection and a master's grade successful governmental science.
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