The recruitment of poor African men to fight Russia’s war in Ukraine is a cruel system built on deception, racism, and economic desperation. Families are being torn apart by false promises, and lives ...

Ukraine’s defense forces have struck three Russian navy ships in the port of Novorossiysk, according to the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces in a statement on Thursday. The confirmed vessels hit are the minesweeper Zheleznyakov, the frigate Admiral Essen, and the large landing ship Pyotr Morgunov (Project 11711), all located at Russia’s Novorossiysk naval base in Krasnodar Krai on September 9. The statement added that Ukrainian forces also struck fuel oil storage facilities in Novorossiysk. “In the early hours of September 10, Ukraine’s defense units targeted the Makhachkala commercial seaport in the Republic of Dagestan, Russia,” according to the announcement. “A fire broke out at the site. The extent of the damage is being assessed.” The Makhachkala port is Russia’s only year-round deepwater port on the Caspian Sea, serving as a critical transportation and logistics hub. It plays a key role in the Russia-Iran corridor through the Caspian, providing a route to circumvent Western sanctions. Military supplies travel both ways on this route: components and Shahed-type attack drones from Iran to Russia, and explosives, components for drones, and ammunition from Russia to Iran. A base of Russia’s Caspian Flotilla is located near the port. On the morning of September 10, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukrainian defense forces had struck an oil refinery in Russia’s Yamalo-Nenets region, as well as the maritime port in Dagestan. On September 9, Zelensky confirmed that during the strike on Novorossiysk, Ukraine hit Russian navy ships equipped with Kalibr missiles.