Putin’s last naval fortress falls in the battle for Novorossiysk | Battle Plans Exposed

They're destroying harbour infrastructure.They're destroying ships that are tied up in port or surrender.In Gekirzhink Palace, believed to be Vladimir Putin's, there's the rest of more Russian ships carrying oil to fuel his war in Ukraine.No longer capable of waging its war on Ukraine alone.It comes as North Korea is stepping up its support in the Zaporizhia region that sent the Russians in to retreat.That's in Russia's Tula region.

And that's five days after Ukrainian deep strike.once reduced to a vast expanse of scorched steel, collapsed structural beams and incinerated inventory.Frame after frame reveals the full scale of the blast and the subsequent fires.Rare glimpse behind the curtain underscores the strategic effectiveness of Ukraine's long -range strike campaign, targetively disrupting the flow of goods, inflicting severe economic losses and proving that critical infrastructure deep within the Russian heartland remains.It is impacting their defence supply chain, elements that are going to the frontline.It's also affecting Russian small businesses, because many of them store their goods.

Wildberries itself is under huge debt to Russian banks, and as more and more get burnt down, not only are they losing the ability to store items for the Russian military or Russian defence manufacturing and for the Russian people.But they're also having less of ability to start to repay their debts.The Russian banks are worried.The Russian Central Bank has stepped in to turn around and say that they should not start to impose difficulties on those small businesses.This is in threefold.

Military, financial, and that's economic the whole way up to Russian economic and also psychological.It is showing the Russian people that they are not alone.destroy their very way of life.

Surveillance footage shot in broad daylight offers a stark look at the increasingly hazardous reality facing Russian military supply lines.Drones are now maintaining near constant aerial overwatch over key rear aerial logistic corridors, systematically hunting high value support targets.The explosive footage captures the exact moment a loitering strike drone homes in on an expo, instantly detonates the vehicle's volatile payload into a massive and catastrophic fireball.This strike underscores Ukraine's expanding capacity to interdict Russian military logistics well beyond the range of the standard frontline FPVs.By turning crucial rear area supply arteries into lethal shooting galleries, Ukrainian forces are severely choking the flow of diesel, ammunition, and heavy equipment before it ever reaches the frontline.As these broad daylight attacks mount, Russian commanders are forced into an agonizing dilemma.

Push vulnerable supply convoys through high -risk corridors, or face severe shortages at the zero line.This is the frontline.And the area that is being hit is this land corridor.This bit that there is behind the has not got any secure supply corridors going along this area, able to supply into the east of the region or able to supply down into Crimea.Ukraine is dominating this whole area with its medium range drone capability.Now, dramatic first -person footage captures a chaotic and ultimately futile attempt by a Russian mobile air defence team to intercept a low -flying Ukrainian mid -range strike drone.

Filmed from inside a moving military truck, the video shows the sheer panic of the crew as the Ukrainian UAV over the truck's windshield as tracer fire streaks into the sky.only for the drone to sail past completely untouched.This dramatic encounter highlights the growing crisis facing Russian air defences, which are increasingly forced to rely on makeshift, visual -only mobile teams to counter low -altitude drone strikes across the rear areas.Lacking automated tracking or radar integration, these improvised point defence units face nearly impossible odds when it comes to intercept fast -moving, low -flying targets in real time.as Ukrainian strike drones continue to bypass these desperate screen forces with ease.Two other things come out about these videos.

One, the fact that the Russians are having to put air defence gunners with clearly designed twin -mounted machine guns at the rear of a truck, and we can see a Russian soldier at the front of the truck looking out for threats, shows the extent of the threat that's there.The second thing is, I would not like to be the driver of that large Russian civilian truck, because those bullets were going very close to him.I wonder if he got through this safely.Bizarre propaganda footage published for the first time by Pyongyang this week offers a rare look at North Korean troops operating alongside Russian forces during the battles in the Kursk region in May 2025.Visibility, flex, or bilateral unity, the video depicts North Korean soldiers embedded with a rift to modern frontline warfare.

Timed to coincide with Pyongyang's pledge to supply 120 ballistic missiles, six mobile launchers, and specialised personnel to Russia, the release is a decisive addition to the Kremlin's war effort.However, behind the Pyongyang's polished state narrative lies a starkly different reality, documented by Western and Ukrainian intelligence.Far from the tactical success portrayed on the camera, North Korean units deployed to the front -line struggled amidplagued by severe communication barriers, total unfamiliarity with drone -dominated battlefields, and heavy casualty rates during costly assaults.Ongoing transfer of foreign manpower and high -velocity ballistic hardware underscores an escalating military access that continues to feed Russia's war of attrition.The one thing that the Russians did note and the Ukrainians did note about the North Korean troops was their basic military skills and their basic discipline was of a very high standard.

They could shoot, they were fit, they could move tactically.But that didn't prove warfare by more complex weapon systems.

And it's when the North Koreans came up against that, that they had difficulty then responding.And like most troops that are trained in the old communist style, their adaptability left a lot to be desired.Sensational video footage from the Donetsk region captures the tense and chaotic moment a Russian gunner attempts to intercept an incoming Ukrainian FPV strike drone.But it goes horribly wrong.The footage shows Russian firing shells into the sky in a desperate bid to shoot down the fast approaching drone.Despite their frantic gunfire, the agile drone easily bypasses the volley, banking sharply and diving directly into the enemy position before detonating in a violent blast.

The catastrophic explosion leaves several Russian occupiers injured and scrambling for cover.demonstrating the sheer lethality and precision of Ukrainian drone operations.There is no real counter to these drones that are coming in from a soldier's individual perspective.That surprises me.I'd have thought something would have been at the front line already.In the Zaporizhzhya, which is between Kostornevka and Orkiv,

After spending months sending small infantry groups through gaps in the Ukrainian lines, Russian forces have abandoned those plans to turn those penetrations into larger offensive, pulling their main units back below the river line.

Even pro -Russian sources that previously exaggerated minor infiltrations as major territorial gains now admit the effort has completely collapsed under heavy losses.The retreat comes after repeated infiltration attempts turned into high attrition death traps.Across the sector, Ukrainian aerial surveillance systematically caught Russian squads attempting to move through the dense tree lines.Ukrainian FPV operators continuously hunted advancing infantry, flying explosive drones directly into concealed dugouts and dropping grenades into tree lines.

Further back in the Novopavlivka sector, Ukrainian FPV operators located and destroyed multiple Russian BM -21 Grad MLRS launchers, providing fire support, stripping the infantry of critical artillery coverage.

As main Russian units pulled back behind the river, small infiltration groups that had managed to slip deep behind Ukrainian lines were left entirely stranded.Isolated Russian squads remained hidden in basements and abandoned structures, waiting for reinforcements that would never arrive.With the overall operation called off, Russian commanders halted all resupply efforts, even stopping drone deliveries of food and basic provisions.

Written off by their own leadership, these isolated infiltrators were left with a stark choice.Starve, die in their hiding places, or surrender.This collapse creates a major dilemma for Russian commanders along the southern front.Every deep infiltration attempt now carries the risk of leaving small units marooned deep inside Ukrainian territory.To rescue them, Russian commanders would have to send fresh troops through routes under heavy Ukrainian drone overwatch.When forces are forced to keep infiltrators close to their main defence lines, they lose the element of surprise and flexibility that made these small unit tactics beneficial in the first place.

And this is something we've seen the whole way across forward.They try and dig in somewhere, hide in a basement, use the rubble in a village and in buildings to say that they've captured somewhere.Take a picture, get it geolocated.It's reported up to their higher command that they've actually captured that area.This is the first time we've seen them admit that they've actually been pushed out of it and not do that.It's happening everywhere across the frontline.

And this is why it is very difficult, even for us, to assess exactly where the front line is and exactly who has captured what territory and who hasn't captured what territory.And we then have to put this into perspective with trends.The trends up until a couple of months ago, where the Russians were advancing very slowly, 10 metres, 15 metres, 20 metres, that trend has stopped.Across a large proportion of the front line now, the Ukrainians are holding any advances up.And in some areas, we're now even seeing advancing 10 metres, 20 metres, 50 metres, 100 metres.The Ukrainians are not going to demonstrate that they've captured territory, which in reality, they haven't.

They're not under the same pressure that the Russians are going on in the rare areas.Now turning our focus to the Black Sea, where Ukrainian drones have transformed the sea into a treacherous waterway.In a historic coordinated blow to Russian naval power, Ukrainian forces executed a massive overnight strike against the Russian naval base of Novorossiysk.the Kremlin's last major stronghold in the Black Sea.Operating more than 300 kilometres behind the frontline, Ukrainian defence forces proved that no distance can shield the occupation fleet from precision retaliation.President Vladimir Zelensky hailed the operation as a unique triumph of Ukrainian ingenuity, emphasising that the days of Russia maintaining safe harbours in the Black Sea are officially over.

The multi -axis strike showcased the formidable evolution of Ukraine's domestic defence industry.Combining jet -powered Paneista rocket drones, long -range Neptune cruise missiles and uncrewed maritime surface systems into a single synchronised salvo, critical port infrastructure.As President Zelensky made clear following the attack, the occupation fleet and every supporting node will remain under constant threat so long as Moscow continues its brutal invasion.Reiterating, Ukraine will force the enemy to pay an unsustainable price on the battlefield.This decisive operation builds directly on a relentless deep strike campaign targeting the logistics feeding Novorossiysk.Just last month, a precision drone strike triggered a massive inferno at the Groszowa industrial tank farm, a vital transshipment facility.

Residents reported hearing roughly 50 explosions before thick plumes of smoke engulfed the facility, systematically stripping the Russian military of fuel reserves required to sustain its southern grouping.These high -profile base strikes represent the tip of the spear in a much broader, highly organised campaign waged by Ukraine's unmanned systems forces, codenamed Operation Moluchaka.

This month -long maritime campaign has effectively transformed both the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov into a war zone.blockade zones for Russian shipping by relentlessly hunting enemy transports and illegal shadow fleet vessels and supplied.The scale of this unmanned blockade is unprecedented.According to the SPS commander Robert Brovde, Ukrainian strike teams engaged a staggering 218 Russian vessels between the 6th of July and early August, hitting 12 additional targets in the first week of August alone.Crucially, Brovde reported that commercial and military shipping through the vital Kish Strait, which is here, has been completely choked off for 30 consecutive days, leaving Russian garrisons in occupied Crimea increasingly isolated and starved of heavy seaborne resupply.The geographic reach of Operation Molochaka demonstrates total operational dominance across the region.

Ukrainian strike drones have successfully engaged 134 vessels in the Sea of Azov and another 84 across the Black Sea.From dry cargo ships carrying military equipment to Shadow Fleet oil tankers attempting to bypass international sanctions, Ukrainian forces are proving that every vessel supporting the Russian war effort is a legitimate and reachable target.Footage released by the SBS highlights the growing technological gap between Ukrainian strike teams and Russian air defences.Near the coastal city of Gelendzhik, a Russian Pantsir -S1 air defence system frantically fired three interceptor missiles at an approaching Ukrainian drone, only for all three to miss as the UAV pressed forward to strike its target.Similar precision strikes filmed near Novorossiysk confirm the link to protect its high -value maritime assets.Ultimately, the successful raid of Novorossiysk, combined with the overwhelming pressure of Operation Molochaka,

proves that Ukraine has seized the strategic initiative at sea.

By parrying low -cost loitering munitions with high -speed jet drones and heavy cruise missiles, Ukraine has successfully neutralised Russia's Black Sea Fleet without possessing a conventional navy of its own, rewriting the rules of modern naval warfare and driving the occupier further into the corner.

And the significance of this for the internet, the Sea of Azov are not small bodies of water.The fact that Ukraine has systematically been able to isolate Crimea, push the Russians out of their Black Sea, their historic Black Sea fleet port of Sevastopol, force them to move to Novorossiysk.

And remember, the Russian Black Sea fleet is on paper the strongest maritime presence in the whole region.From Novorossiysk, they thought they were secure.They put lots of defences to stop the Ukrainians getting to them.Ukrainians have destroyed the air defences, they've destroyed the sea defences, and they've been attacking with this multi -layered attacks from their jet -propelled drones.There are rockets coming in and sea drones coming in and attacking into the harbour and fire their calibre cruise missiles into Ukraine.And they've destroyed submarines, as well as destroying logistics supplies and oil supplies that are around the port's outskirts.

This is significant.Naval warfare across the world is about to change.

Now let's take a look at Ukraine's relentless deep strike campaign crippling Russia's oil infrastructure and its retail sector.Over 1 ,200 kilometers deep inside Russian territory, the myth of the Russian rare area security.

has been shattered once again.Ukrainian long -range strike drones delivered a devastating blow to the massive Tenko oil refinery complex in Nezhechkamtsk, up near Tatarstan.Overnight and into the morning hours, waves of Ukrainian UAVs bypassed layered air defence networks, set one of Russia's most advanced fuel production hubs ablaze.For Ukrainians, this high -precision strike is a direct and necessary response to Russia's ongoing aerial terror.While Moscow launches ballistic missiles and drones at Ukrainian cities, including the brutal attack on Kiev that killed 21 civilians, Ukraine is methodically dismantling the economic engine and fuel supply lines powering Putin's war machine.The strike in Tatarstan is not an isolated raid.

but the centrepiece of a relentless campaign.Ukrainian drones reduced the massive 200 ,000 square metre Wildberries Distribution Centre in Alskin to a smouldering rubble pile, destroying vital dual -use components, drone electronics and tactical gear designed for the front lines.

Deep strike drone units extended their reach even further east into the Toyman region, and that's around this area.Striking petrochemical complex in Toblesk that manufacture rocket fuel components, high -octane gasoline, and composite materials for the Russian military war machine.

With over 30 % of Russia's refining directly disrupting military logistics while draining the Kremlin's export revenues, Nekhamsk, Ukraine's message remains crystal clear.As Andrei Kovlenko, head of Ukraine's Centre for Countering Disinformation, pointed out, every facility targeted by Ukraine directly feeds the invasion force.manufactures weaponry or funds the war.Every consequence felt inside Russia.is the direct result of Vladimir Putin's decision to launch an unprovoked full -scale war.As President Vladimir Zelensky emphasized, every Russian strike on Ukrainian towns will be met with a calculated, hard -hitting response.

By systematically neutralising Ukraine, Ukraine's unmanned systems forces are proving that as long as Russia continues its aggression, no military or economic asset inside Russia is out of reach.These deep strike operations.

We've got the Firepoint FP2, a Ukrainian mid to long range strike drone equipped with a heavy 105 kilogram warhead and Starlink sat 50 kilometres behind enemy lines.Of course, the Hornet drone, a fixed -wing, long -endurance strike UAV carrying a 5kg payload up to 150km, designed with high dive speeds and integrated satellite relay.Then the Blizkavka 2, the ultra -low -cost, modern drone carrying an 8kg payload over 40km range, engineered so frontline operators can quickly reconfigure it in the field between disposable strike missions.And finally, the Begumot, is a Ukrainian Shahad style middle strike loitering munition with an operational range of up to 300 kilometers that can carry two heavy warheads simultaneously.Now, that's only a small number of the drones that are used.

We're not going to touch on all of them here.Now, touching on one of your questions from last week's episode, how does Ukraine decide what is a legal and legitimate target?And, you know, we've got civilians working at the Wildberry sites.Do they make it any less legitimate?Well, under article as a legitimate military target, if by its nature, location, purpose or use, if it makes an effective contribution to military action and its destruction offers a definite military advantage, target selectionguided by multi -source intelligence, including satellite imagery, signals intelligence and tracking to verify targets and the optimum time to strike to minimise civilian casualties.

Under the IHL, military commanders must ensure that incidental loss of civilian life is not excessive in relation to the concrete military advantage expected.And so far, at least 15 civilian workers have died during the operations targeting Wildberry sites at at least 20 separate strikes.It was concerning Ukraine's air defence capabilities.When could Swedish Gripen fighter jets and meteor missiles come online for Ukraine?Well, the Saab Jazz 39 Gripen is one of the most uniquely engineered 4 .5 generation multi -role fighter jet in the world.In May this year, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Ukrainian Prime Minister President Volodymyr Zelensky announced a landmark deal to provide Ukraine with 16 jets, with the first batch expected to arrive in Ukraine early next year.

Time will tell if it can become a game.Just because you've got pilots that can fly them, you haven't necessarily got pilots that can fight them.It can take.over two years from a pilot who is experienced on the front line to convert to a new jet and then to be able to fight that new jet in a high intensity environment.So this is something that's not going to bring in an early conclusion.And the Walbury sites are without doubt legitimate military targets because they are directly supplying Russia's front line.

What Ukraine is doing by targeting them is very clever indeed.

So that's all for today's Battle Plans Exposed.If you like what you've seen, please tell your friends, share it across your social media platforms.And of course, if you haven't subscribed, please subscribe.If you've got any comments or any suggestions, please put them below and we'll try and address them and bring them into action.for future issues.But most of all, thank you for watching.

I'm Philip Ingram.Goodbye.