Satellite imagery of the three damaged vessels, believed to be a Project 21631 Buyan-M small missile ship, and the frigates Admiral Essen and Admiral Makarov. Source: Exilenova+Ukrainian officials have reported that three Russian warships capable of launching cruise missiles were hit in a combined missile and drone strike on Novorossiysk overnight into Sept. 9. The vessels in question were a Project 21631 Buyan-M small missile ship, and the frigates Admiral Essen and Admiral Makarov.Robert “Magyar” Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, announced earlier today that the coordinated strike on the naval base in Novorossiysk had caused it to “lose a number of military vessels, including missile carriers.”Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) said the Admiral Essen was hit in its superstructure, causing a fire aboard the ship. The Ukrainian Navy also said a Neptune cruise missile was used in the attack.The Admiral Essen is a Project 11356 frigate of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet and can carry Kalibr cruise missiles, which Russian forces have repeatedly used in strikes on Ukraine.It was not the first time Admiral Essen had been targeted. In August, Ukraine’s General Staff reported strikes on the Admiral Essen, Admiral Makarov and the patrol ship Vasily Bykov.Satellite images published after the latest attack appear to point to at least two other possible strikes. One target was a Project 21631 Buyan-M small missile ship. Images appear to show a direct hit on the vessel. Ukrainian sources said it lost combat capability after the strike.Buyan-M ships are a class of small Russian missile vessels armed with the Kalibr-NK missile system. Despite their relatively small size, they can launch long-range cruise missiles at ground targets and have repeatedly been used by Russia to carry out strikes on Ukraine.The Ukrainian side said the vessel hit in Novorossiysk had taken part in an attack on Kyiv shortly before it was struck.Another likely target was the frigate Admiral Makarov, which is also capable of launching Kalibr missiles. Ukrainian sources published images that they said show damage to the ship’s port side.Footage of a possible attack on the Project 11711 large landing ship Pyotr Morgunov was also analyzed. In that case, however, Ukrainian monitoring resources preliminarily assessed that the munition failed to reach its target.The Novorossiysk strike was carried out overnight into Sept. 9 and involved several types of weapons. Ukraine said it targeted the port and military infrastructure in the city.Fires in the area were also visible on satellite data from NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS), which detects thermal anomalies. According to the FIRMS map, heat signatures were recorded in the port area from 2:05 a.m. to 3:45 a.m. Moscow time on Sept. 9, with the strongest readings at 3:45 a.m.After repeated Ukrainian attacks on Sevastopol, Russia relocated a significant part of its Black Sea Fleet to Novorossiysk. In recent years, however, Ukraine has also begun systematically attacking that base with maritime drones, aerial drones, and missiles.Another way to support usAdd The Insider as a preferred source on Google and our reporting will show up in your Top Stories more often. Every reader who chooses The Insider helps show Google that our journalism matters.