Magura - the Slavic goddess of war - has become synonymous with maritime innovation in unmanned platforms by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence's main reconnaissance department. With the Magura V, eight ships were destroyed in two years.öand six other employeesdigt become. The Magura VII with a length of around 8 metres and a range of 800 nautical miles is the current state of development. There are no limits to Ukrainian ingenuity when it comes to arming these drones - two Russian Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets were even hit with Sidewinders in 2025. 

In the meantime, the airborne drones have also reached the stage where they were able to successfully carry out an attack on the cruise missile frigates „Admiral Essen“ and „Admiral Makarov“ (Grigorovich class, project 11356M, 125 metres, 4,000 tonnes), which are moored in the Novorossiysk replacement port, as well as other unconfirmed units (Natya minesweeper „Pikul“, Grisha III sub-hunter „Lasimov“ and „Eisk“) at the beginning of March. At least the „Admiral Essen“ is said to have suffered heavy damage from hits and subsequent fire in the ship. A large part of the neighbouring oil terminal is also said to have been damaged in the attack. Russian authorities confirmed only three casualties and damage to residential buildings in Novorossiysk.

At the beginning of April, Ukrainian drones once again attacked the naval base in Novorossiysk in southern Russia as well as the offshore drilling platforms and the oil storage facility in the south of the harbour. The target of the airborne drones was probably the frigate „Admiral Makarov“, which was probably less damaged in the last attack, while the sea-based drones were directed under the „Sivash“ drilling rig. The tank farm on land - already the target of previous drone attacks - was also hit again as part of the attacks on Russia's raw material stocks. 

Ukrainian drone forces had already repeatedly used the two frigates and the conventional Kilo-class submarines as carriers of the Kalibr cruise missiles in the Russian Navy's port of retreat on the Black Sea coast, 600 kilometres away. in the sights. Novorossiysk can no longer be considered a harbour of retreat. 

As always, the journalistic presumption of innocence applies: there is no qualifying confirmation from the Russian side of the damage caused to the floating units.

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