Ukraine pounds Black Sea Fleet’s ‘last major stronghold’ while Putin flexes naval power in Pacific

close Video Russia unleashes missiles in massive Pacific war games More than 13,000 troops and dozens of ships, submarines and aircraft take part in Russian naval drills across the Sea of Japan, Sea of Okhotsk and Northwest Pacific. (Credit: East2West) NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Hören Sie sich diesen Artikel an 4 Min Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened Wednesday to seize European vessels in retaliation if European countries begin seizing Russian merchant ships after Ukraine launched a major overnight attack on a key Russian Black Sea naval and commercial hub and Moscow staged large-scale war games in the Pacific. The developments underscore a growing battle at sea: Ukraine is hitting one of Russia’s most important Black Sea naval and export hubs, while Moscow is warning it could seize European vessels and flexing its naval power in the Pacific. Though the events are not directly linked, they show how the war is increasingly extending beyond the front lines into strategic ports and international shipping routes. Ukraine hammered the port city of Novorossiysk in a massive overnight drone attack that put two major grain terminals out of operation, according to Russian industry sources cited by Reuters Aug. 12. Novorossiysk is a major Black Sea export hub and also serves as a base for Russian warships that Moscow relocated there after repeated Ukrainian attacks on its Black Sea Fleet in Crimea. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed responsibility Wednesday morning for an operation targeting the Novorossiysk naval base, calling it "the last major stronghold of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea." In a post on X, Zelenskyy said Ukraine used Palianytsia jet-powered drones, Neptune missiles and unmanned naval systems and claimed hits on air-defense positions, piers and port infrastructure. Ukraine LAUNCHES WHAT APPEARS TO BE ONE OF ITS LARGEST DRONE ATTACKS AGAINST Russia: REPORT Russian President Vladimir Putin is welcomed on board the missile cruiser Varyag as he observes a military drill of Pacific fleet, in Russia's far eastern Sakhalin Region, Russia, Aug. 12, 2026. (Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Pool via Reuters) "The occupation fleet and all the infrastructure supporting it will not be safe as long as Russian aggression continues," Zelenskyy wrote. The governor of Russia’s Krasnodar region said at least two people, including an 8-year-old child, were killed in the wider wave of attacks. Novorossiysk Mayor Andrei Kravchenko said more than two dozen residential buildings, four businesses and educational facilities were damaged, and the city’s water supply was suspended. Reuters reported that Chicago wheat futures rose roughly 3% amid concerns over potential disruptions to Russian grain exports. Separately Wednesday, thousands of miles to the east, Putin appeared aboard the Russian missile cruiser Varyag near Sakhalin while observing Pacific Fleet exercises and issued a warning to European governments increasingly targeting Russia’s so-called shadow fleet. The European Union has expanded sanctions against hundreds of vessels and detained some ships and their crews for checks, while some 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 private house after an overnight attack, what local authorities called a Ukrainian drone strike, in the course of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in Novorossiysk, Russia, in this still image taken from video released Aug. 12, 2026. (Operations Headquarters of Krasnodar Region/Handout via Reuters) Quoting Putin, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote on X, "Attempts to seize Russian vessels & sell off our property are outright piracy. If such plans are implemented, Russia will respond in kind – wherever we deem necessary, including within the Pacific Fleet’s area of responsibility." The warning came against the backdrop of sweeping Russian naval exercises. The drills stretched across the Sea of Japan, Sea of Okhotsk and Northwest Pacific and involved more than 13,000 personnel and around 60 ships, submarines and support vessels. Russian Defense Ministry figures reported separately put the number of participating aircraft, helicopters and unmanned systems at around 30. Video supplied by East2West showed Russian forces firing anti-ship missiles during the drills. Bastion coastal missile systems launched Oniks cruise missiles at simulated enemy ships from Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands, while the corvette Smerch fired a Uran anti-ship cruise missile, according to East2West. Putin also used his Pacific appearance to accuse NATO of expanding its presence in the Asia-Pacific and Arctic regions, pointing to new military alliances and planned weapons deployments that he said were increasing the potential for conflict. Russia PREPARING HYBRID ATTACKS ON NATO'S EASTERN FLANK, INTELLIGENCE WARNS A firefighter extinguishes a fire that appeared after Russian drone strikes amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv region, Ukraine, Aug. 12, 2026. (Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters) The developments unfolded as attacks continued on both sides. Reuters reported that Russia struck the Ukrainian port of Odesa and that a separate Russian attack set fire to a shopping mall in Zaporizhzhia, underscoring the continuing pressure on ports and logistics infrastructure as the war approaches four and a half years. Separately, Romania said its naval forces destroyed two suspected Russian Gerbera drones over the Black Sea, roughly 90 nautical miles from Constanta, according to East2West. Romanian naval forces destroy two suspected Russian Gerbera drones over the Black Sea, roughly 90 nautical miles off Constanta, according to East2West. (East2West) NATO said its North Atlantic Council met Wednesday to discuss Russian airspace violations in Poland and Romania and recent drone incidents. A NATO spokesperson said allies "condemned Russia for actions, expressed solidarity with allies affected [and] reaffirmed support to Ukraine." Efrat (Effie) Lachter is a reporter for Fox News Digital with more than 15 years of experience covering conflict, global affairs, human rights and political accountability. She has directed and produced more than 200 documentary segments across more than 40 countries, documenting conflicts, humanitarian crises, corruption, human trafficking, gender-based violence and the human stories behind major world events. Lachter’s reporting has taken her into conflict zones and crisis areas across the Middle East, Europe, Asia and Africa. Her work has included uncovering human trafficking networks, revealing an ISIS underground torture prison in Syria, documenting the war in Ukraine and interviewing senior political figures and world leaders. She was also among the Western journalists who entered Russia after the war 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 at the University of Michigan. She also won two Rockower Awards for Excellence in Reporting. She holds a bachelor's degree in communication and a master's degree in political science.