Ukraine war: Crimea naval base attack, Kyiv 'dominates' frontline, Russia hits Kherson church

Russia said on Friday it had thwarted an assault by Ukrainian naval and aerial drones against a naval base on the annexed Crimean peninsula. 

"Last night, the Ukrainian armed forces, with the help of two unmanned boats, attempted to attack the naval base of Novorossïysk" on the Black Sea, said Russia's Defence Ministry on Telegram. 

“The unmanned boats were visually detected and destroyed by regular gunfire from Russian ships” protecting the base, it added. 

Novorossiysk, a major port, is the end of an around 1,500 km oil pipeline from western Kazakhstan and Russian regions located north of the Caspian Sea. Most Kazakh oil for export passes through this pipe.

No damage was reported and oil continued to flow normally on board ships docked in the port, the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) was quoted as saying by Russian media. 

Russia's Black Sea Fleet has been repeatedly targeted since the start of the invasion in February 2022, with attacks escalating in recent weeks. 

Ukraine's President said on Thursday evening their counteroffensive was difficult but his troops had the upper hand. 

"The occupiers are trying with all their might to stop our guys," said Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his nightly address. "The fighting is very violent." 

Still, "whatever the enemy does, it is the Ukrainian army who dominates," he added. 

Equipped with Western weapons and training, Kyiv launched a counteroffensive in June to dislodge Russian forces from the south and east of the country. 

It has since made modest progress but is going up against deeply entrenched Russian forces that have had months to prepare their defences. 

Zelenskyy said there was fighting near Lyman, Bakhmut and Avdiivka, in the eastern Ukraine, but also on the southern front.

In 2022,