Tuapse is under drone attack again; an oil refinery is on fire
Explosions were heard in Tuapse, in the Krasnodar Krai of the Russian Federation, on the night of 28 April. Telegram channels reported a drone attack on the maritime terminal and the Tuapse oil refinery.
Local residents reported more than a dozen explosions after 2 am, air defence activity, flashes in the sky and gunfire. According to public posts, the drones were flying in from the sea at low altitude.
Videos have also been shared online showing the moment of impact and a fire on the plant’s premises. According to preliminary estimates, the tank farm near the ELOU-AVT-12 unit was hit. Social media posts mentioned two tanks catching fire.
Amid the drone threat, restrictions on aircraft arrivals and departures were introduced at the airports in Krasnodar, Gelendzhik and Sochi.
In the morning, the Krasnodar Krai operational headquarters confirmed a drone attack on the oil refinery in Tuapse. Officials there stated that the fire was allegedly caused by falling drone debris. The Russian authorities have not reported on the extent of the damage.
Earlier, local social media accounts reported that fires at the port and oil refinery had not been fully extinguished following previous attacks.
Tuapse has already come under attack several times in April. According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as a result of the strike on 20 April in the area of the Tuapse oil refinery, 24 storage tanks were destroyed and a further four were damaged. It was also reported that on 16 April, the plant, which is primarily export-oriented, had effectively ceased operations.
Online reports also mentioned the consequences of previous attacks, in particular the spillage of petroleum products. Local residents complained of ‘oil rain’, and animals were getting dirty in the fuel oil stains.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had previously stated that, thanks to “long-range sanctions”, Ukraine had inflicted $2.3 billion in losses on the Russian oil sector in March alone. He emphasised that Ukraine would continue to develop long-range capabilities to weaken Russia’s economic and military potential.
