The Tuapse oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar region, the largest Russian crude processing facility on the Black Sea, was damaged in a significant Ukrainian drone attack overnight, Russian officials and Ukrainian intelligence sources reported on Monday.
The Tuapse refinery, with a processing capacity of 240,000 barrels per day (bpd), has been repeatedly targeted by Ukrainian drones since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. Owned by Rosneft, Russia’s leading oil producer, the refinery had previously suffered damage from a drone attack in January and faced an emergency shutdown in May due to another drone-induced fire.
Early Monday morning, a drone attack orchestrated by Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) caused a fire at the Tuapse refinery, sources from the intelligence unit told the Kyiv Post. Debris from the downed drones ignited the fire, Russian officials confirmed to Reuters.
The operational headquarters of Russia’s Krasnodar region stated on Telegram that the debris damaged the refinery’s infrastructure. Authorities have since contained the fire and reported no casualties, according to preliminary information.
The Tuapse refinery primarily exports naphtha, high-sulfur diesel, fuel oil, and vacuum gasoil to Turkey, China, Malaysia, and Singapore.
Ukraine’s ongoing attacks on Russian refineries have disrupted product supply, compounded by increased domestic fuel demand during the summer. Consequently, Russia’s oil product shipments are estimated to have declined in June compared to May.
Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian refineries and other energy infrastructure have become a recurring tactic this year.
