Russia's biggest Black Sea port attacked by 'enemy' drones, NASA satellite records fire

Novorossiysk, which hosts grain, crude and oil product terminals, is on fire, according to NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System.

Russia’s biggest Black Sea port of Novorossiysk and the surrounding areas were attacked by drones overnight, damaging infrastructure and threatening to further squeeze commodity flows from the region.

This satellite image provided by Vantor shows smoke in an overview of port infrastructure in Novorossiysk, Russia, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. (AP/File)

“Last night, our military repelled a massive enemy drone attack on the region,” Novorossiysk city mayor Andrey Kravchenko said in a Telegram statement. “The main strike targeted Novorossiysk,” with civil infrastructure damaged, he said, providing no information on whether any port facilities were affected.

Novorossiysk, which hosts grain, crude and oil product terminals, is on fire, according to NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System. The satellite imagery taken on Wednesday shows relatively fresh heat anomalies — likely indicating fires — in the area where some grain facilities and the fuel oil terminal are located.

The Black Sea terminal of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, the main outlet for Kazakshtan’s crude-oil exports, was also targeted by drones on Wednesday morning, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The Seaviolet tanker, which was at CPC's third mooring, suffered some damage but completed loading, the person said on condition of anonymity as the information is not public. The mooring itself appears undamaged, the person said.

CPC’s press office and the administration of Novorossiysk port did not immediately respond to Bloomberg requests for comment.

Russia and Ukraine have stepped up attacks in the Black Sea in the recent months, threatening supplies of key commodities. Grain exports from both countries have been severely disrupted, putting pressure on global food prices.

The attacks have also slashed Russia’s crude oil exports via its Black Sea ports, as the nation was forced to redirect some volumes to its Baltic facilities. Kazakhstan cut the outlook for its 2026 oil output by 2 million tons following earlier CPC attacks.