Ukraine Claims Attack on Russian Frigate Admiral Essen

A Fire Point attack drone closes in on a Bora-class missile corvette at Novorossiysk (AFU / Magyar)

Ukraine's drone forces claim to have hit a Russian frigate at a pier in Novorossiysk, along with one of Russia's rare hovercraft-like fast missile corvettes. The strikes occurred as part of a broader campaign against targets at the Sheskharis oil terminal and associated infrastructure.

Ukrainian drone forces commander Robert "Magyar" Brovdi reports that the strike hit the frigate Admiral Essen, previously damaged by a Ukrainian cruise missile in the opening months of the war. Accompanying video footage from Ukraine's general staff appears inconclusive, and the extent of any damage was not reported.

Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces struck the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s Admiral Grigorovich-class guided missile frigate Admiral Essen during an aerial attack on Novorossiysk. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/JXqQ0YTb2X
— Giorgi Revishvili (@revishvilig) May 23, 2026

Also targeted was a Project 1239 Bora-class missile corvette, one of two in existence. The Bora-class is a late Soviet design with a catamaran hull and rubber curtains fore and aft. Fitted out as a "surface-effect ship," it can function in the manner of a hovercraft to achieve high speeds, up to a maximum of 55 knots in calm conditions. Samum, one of the two sister ships, was reportedly damaged by a Ukrainian strike in 2023.

In the same operation, Ukrainian drones struck and ignited an oil storage tank farm at Grushova, starting a fire. The Sheskharis marine terminal in Novorossiysk's inner harbor - a perennial target - was also hit and damaged. Russian authorities asserted that the sites had been hit by falling drone debris.

In addition, Ukraine claims to have damaged the sanctioned "shadow fleet" tanker Chrysalis. As of Sunday, Chrysalis' AIS signal suggested that the vessel was at anchor just off the coast of Turkey, near the northern entrance to the Bosporus. The claim could not immediately be confirmed.

Chrysalis has previously been targeted by a much different opponent - Yemen's Houthi rebels. The tanker was attacked twice by Houthi missiles in 2024, but escaped without harm.