Ukraine launched new strikes on Russian warships after striking the Black Sea Fleet

• For the first time, Ukraine launched a drone attack on Russian warships in the Caspian Sea.
• Wednesday’s attack hit the Russian port city of Kaspiysk, hundreds of miles from the front lines.
• This is another blow to the Russian fleet, which was defeated in the Black Sea.

Ukrainian forces attacked Russian Navy ships in the Caspian Sea for the first time on Wednesday, the latest demonstration of Kyiv’s long-range strike capabilities.

Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security of Ukraine published footage of the attack in social networks. It said Kyiv forces had expanded the “strike zone” by “striking Russia’s Caspian Fleet in Caspiansk,” a port city hundreds of miles from the front line.

A video released by the Ukrainian government appears to capture the moment one of the attacking drones dives to engage its target. Anti-aircraft fire can be heard in the background in some of the footage, suggesting that the Russians were trying to defend themselves from the attack.

The head of the disinformation department of the NSDC, Andriy Kovalenko, shared additional footage of the strikes and confirmed the attack on the Caspian Sea in a Telegram message.

Business Insider could not immediately verify the footage.

The governor of the Dagestan region of Russia Serhii Melikov wrote in Telegram that one drone was destroyed by air defense over the Caspian Sea. He said the incident was under investigation and asked local residents not to share photos or videos “that could help the enemy.”

Kyiv’s armed forces have not publicly claimed responsibility for the attack, but Ukrainian mass media have reported it was an operation on behalf of the country’s military intelligence known as HUR. The attack reportedly damaged two missile ships in the port.

Wednesday’s attack is the latest blow to the Russian navy, which has suffered heavy losses in the Black Sea. Ukraine regularly uses domestically produced missiles and naval drones wreak havoc on Moscow’s warships.

Ukraine does not have a traditional navy with a fleet of warships, but through this campaign of asymmetric warfare, Kyiv has effectively forced Moscow over the past two years redeployment of the Black Sea Fleet away from its headquarters on the occupied Crimean peninsula and closer to Russian territory.

Ukraine has sunk, destroyed or damaged at least 32 medium and large Russian naval vessels while driving enemy naval forces away from Crimea, a senior US defense official said last month.

In addition to military operations at sea, Ukraine is increasingly developing its own the possibility of a long-range strike to attack ground targets deep in Russia. In recent weeks, Kyiv has used home-made drones to strike several key military targets, including ammunition depots and airfields.