A Russian warship has been left badly damaged after being reportedly hit by a kamikaze sea drone attack this morning.
The attack took place at the key Russian port and naval base of Novorossiysk.
Footage shared on social media showed flames erupting into the sky after a huge explosion in the harbour.
Vladimir Putin’s forces had deployed two warships to counter the strikes.
An image of the damage one vessel sustained
It has been reported that the Olenegorsky Gornyak was among the vessels being towed towards the harbour but badly listing to one side.
Despite images suggesting the warships were hit by the drone strike, the Kremlin earlier claimed there was no damage.
A Ukrainian marine drone was seen burning before exploding in the port.
The port is around 450 nautical miles away from the Ukrainian-held waters where it was likely launched from.
An image shows a vessel which has been partially put underwater
The drone strikes and sound of gunfire appeared to result in ship movements at Novorossiysk being halted.
Russia deployed both the landing ship Olenegorsky Gornyak and anti-sabotage boat Suvorovets in an attempt to see off the surface drones.
Kyiv launched separate onslaughts against other targets, including at an oil depot in Feodosia.
Feodosia was annexed by Putin during his illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Kyiv has ramped up its efforts to directly target Moscow as Putin’s invasion of the ex-Soviet state continues to drag out.
The Ukrainian President came out firing after Russia was targeted by aerial strikes
PAUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said "the war is gradually coming back to Russian territory" and claimed aerial onslaughts against Moscow were an “inevitable” consequence of Putin’s actions.
The escalation has led a senior Russian politician to renew threats about the Kremlin using nuclear weapons.
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of the Russian security council, claimed Moscow would be justified due to a nuclear deterrence policy adopted by President Vladimir Putin in 2020.
Commenting on the prospect of using nuclear weapons, Medvedev said: “There would simply be no other choice.”
He added: “So our enemies must pray for our warriors [who are] preventing the ignition of a worldwide nuclear conflagration.”