Ukrainian forces have hit several targets in the Russian Baltic port of Ust-Luga, including the small missile ship Naro-Fominsk, navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk said. The ship carries Kalibr and Oniks missiles.
Pletenchuk said the strike means Ukrainian forces are already actively looking after the security of NATO's Baltic waters, which he called a major extra bonus of the operation. He said it shows partners that Russians must be hit and can be hit, even where that is still seen as fantastical.
He said the Baltic operation has several effects. One is another blow to Russian exports, which Russia recently had to shift from the south, where "everything is bad" for it, to the north.
The other is that such strikes are a very painful reminder.
Pletenchuk also saw a symmetry with Russia's own logic in talks: positions can be strengthened in different ways, and this strike can be seen as one of them.
Updated (12.11, 22:09): Five tanks holding oil products, with a total capacity of 150,000 cubic metres, a hydrocracking unit and a tanker berth were damaged in the overnight strike on Ust-Luga on 11 November, the Ukrainian Armed Forces General Staff said. Ukraine's security service (SBU) said the NovaTEK Ust-Luga and Ust-Luga Oil terminals, the Faktor company and Luzhskaya railway station were also hit. Governor Alexander Drozdenko confirmed the attack and a fire, and said three workers were injured.