Satellite imagery is now available showing the aftermath of yesterday’s Ukrainian attack on the Russian Navy Improved Kilo class diesel-electric submarine at the Black Sea naval base of Novorossiysk. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has claimed the first attack on a Russian ship using a Ukrainian underwater vehicle (UUV). The operation may also mark the historic first successful use of a UUV as an anti-ship weapon, but the actual level of damage to the submarine is unclear. Readers can first update about the attack in our initial reporting.
TWZ Satellite images of the attack site in Novorossiysk were obtained from Vantor (formerly Maxar Technologies). Additional imagery from Planet Labs has also been circulated online.
Satellite imagery confirms that the UUV – named Sub Sea Baby by the SBU, a previously unknown type – exploded from the submarine’s stern at a pier in the port of Novorossiysk. A large part of the ghat was destroyed in the attack. This is all in line with video footage taken during the attack from a position on the ground nearby, which was released by the SBU yesterday.
A satellite image of the aftermath of the attack, with an overview of the target submarine, inside the harbor, and another submarine moored outside it. Other ships are also nearby. Satellite Image © 2025 Vantor
Post-strike imagery shows that Improved Kilo class submarine, also known as Project 636.3 Annual The square type is in the same position as before the attack. Two other submarines stationed nearby moved during the attack. Other submarines and ships are still in moorings, along the outer edge of the damaged pier.
Some of the imagery available now suggests that the attacked submarine may now be sitting down in the water, but this cannot be easily confirmed. Any damage below the waterline will not be visible in the photographs. At the same time, there are no clear indications that any emergency measures were taken to pull it off, or to contain the leakage of oil or other potentially dangerous liquids, as one might expect to see if the damage was serious.
If you look closely at the submarine targeted in the SBU attack and the surrounding area, the damage to the ghat is also evident. Satellite Image © 2025 Vantor
The same area shown before the attack in the December 11, 2025 image. Satellite Image © 2025 Vantor
Based on the estimated length of the submarine, some observers believe the epicenter of the explosion was less than 65 feet from the stern. The size and configuration of Sub Sea Baby’s warhead, as well as other details about the UUV and its capabilities, are scant.
Satellite imagery shows the results of a strike by a Sea Baby underwater drone against a submarine pier in the port of Novorossiysk.
According to the image, the strike took place about 20 meters from the stern of the Project 636 Vanka-class submarine, which remains… https://t.co/SVecegvkeD pic.twitter.com/fxOicR5AAW
— OSINTWarfare (@OSINTWarfare) December 16, 2025
To note, the stern of the Kilo class submarine is submerged so it was probably closer to 20 meters.
It is highly probable that at least the moving end was affected in a kinetic way.
(The satellite imagery I used is not current and is used for illustrative purposes… https://t.co/fwO0UldAZs pic.twitter.com/qxNHs2AEQf
— Status-6 (Military & Conflict News) (@Archer83Able) December 16, 2025
It is also worth noting that the four Project 636 submarines are still present in the panoramic views of the port of Novorossiysk after the attack. There is no definitive indication that the target boat may have been replaced by another to hide the extent of the damage.
Satellite revealed that four Kilo-class submarines are docked at Russia’s Novorossiysk port. One of them appears to have a slightly different waterline than the other three. Ukraine claimed that its underwater UV attacked the area via Mizarvision #OSINT pic.twitter.com/k1DLtOcloL
— GEOINT (@lobsterlarryliu) December 16, 2025
For its part, the Russian Defense Ministry surprisingly denied any damage to the submarine or any personnel in the port. The ministry released a video that it claimed showed the boat undamaged, but did not show the stern end. The background is also heavily censored. Nevertheless, it still reveals what appears to be a pile of broken concrete debris left on the pier after the explosion, which was clearly visible in the SBU’s video of the attack, as well as in the now available satellite imagery.
The press service of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, which operates the submarine, also denied any damage to its ships. This is also consistent with reports from various Russian naval monitoring channels on social media, but clear corroborating evidence is yet to come.
Overall, at this stage, we still cannot say with any authority what extent of damage the submarine may have actually caused.
On the other hand, the attack shows that Ukraine was able to slip at least one UUV into a heavily defended harbor in broad daylight and detonate its warhead just a dozen or so feet away from a Russian submarine worth, according to the SBU, about $400 million.
At least one Ukrainian UUV was therefore able to penetrate past barriers erected at the mouth of the port, specifically to protect the ships inside. It is worth noting, however, that the defensive barriers that Russia had already built around the ports were put in place primarily in response to Ukraine’s uncrewed surface vessel (USV) campaign. This underscores the importance of the use of UUVs in this attack, as another example of the constant adaptation of weapon systems and tactics in response to countermeasures that has become a particular feature of the conflict in Ukraine.
Barriers at the entrance to the Novorossiysk naval base, seen after the attack. Satellite Image © 2025 Vantor
The same area shown before the attack on December 11, 2025. Satellite Image © 2025 Vantor
With that in mind, Russia is likely to introduce new countermeasures against this particular mode of attack, which Ukraine has spent some time developing.
The outcome of yesterday’s attack, while still inconclusive, will further encourage such developments in Ukraine. Before the SBU targeted the submarine in Novorossiysk, Ukraine unveiled a UUV called Marichka designed to launch kamikaze attacks against ships and maritime infrastructure. At least one other Ukrainian UUV, called the Toloka, has been disclosed previously. It’s unclear if any of this has anything to do with Sub Sea Baby.
Video of Toloka UUV:
Furthermore, the attack confirms that the Black Sea Fleet is still a key target for Ukraine. This applies particularly to Project 636 type submarines and corvettes capable of launching caliber long-range cruise missiles. These weapons are routinely used in Russian night barrages against targets across Ukraine.
Already, Ukrainian naval actions had forced the Black Sea Fleet to retreat from its bases on the occupied Crimean peninsula to Novorossiysk. Another was also prosecuted for the attack in Crimea Improved Kilo class submarine. In September 2023, the Rostov-on-Don Sevastopol was severely damaged during a combined missile and USV attack. Ukraine later claimed it was destroyed.
A photo showing the damage Improved Kilo class submarine at Sevastopol, apparently published for the first time by a conflict intelligence team. through the CIT
At the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a total of six Project 636 submarines were available in the Black Sea Fleet.
Other navies around the world watched yesterday’s attack with interest.
Also the United States, China and many other nations are developing their own UUVs for similar missions.
UUVs are capable of attacking ships and other targets at long distances and can be launched from submarines and motherships, extending their range. They can also be used for surveillance and mine laying, among other duties. You can read more about these ships in various TWZ Stories here.
Finally, although the Russian submarine was damaged, the attack showed once again that the war in Ukraine is a crucible for the development of new military technologies, especially unfamiliar ones.
Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com
