Ukrainian drone strike ignites deadly fire at Tuapse oil refinery, highlighting Russia’s Black Sea vulnerabilities
The ministry said the drones were intercepted over Astrahan, Bryansk, Voronezh, Kaluga, and Kursk regions, as well as ...
At least one person was killed and another injured after a new Ukrainian drone attack targeted the Russian Black Sea port of Tuapse in the Krasnodar region, according to regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev.
Kondratyev wrote on Telegram Monday, April 20, that a fire had broken out at the port and falling debris from the drones damaged several city buildings.
The Kyiv Independent, citing local residents, reported explosions, two burning oil tanks at the refinery, and towering flames near the port area.
The port was previously targeted by a Ukrainian strike last week.
Ukrainian social media accounts circulated footage of the fire at the Tuapse port.
For more than four years, Ukraine has been [defending itself against a full-scale Russian invasion with Western support.
As part of its defense, Ukraine has increasingly targeted Russia’s oil industry – a vital source of funding for the Kremlin’s war effort.
The scale of casualties and damage from these strikes remains far lower than the devastation caused by Russian attacks in Ukraine.
Tuapse is one of Russia’s key Black Sea oil export ports and is home to a refinery operated by the country’s largest oil company, Rosneft.
The city is located roughly 75 kilometers northwest of Sochi.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the latest strikes on Russia’s oil infrastructure have cost the Kremlin at least $2.3 billion in lost oil revenues.
According to the Kyiv Independent, in April, Ukrainian drone attacks and the seizure of tankers from Russia’s “shadow fleet” disabled about 40 percent of the country’s oil export capacity.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense reported that on the night of April 20, air defenses shot down 112 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones.
The ministry said the drones were intercepted over Astrahan, Bryansk, Voronezh, Kaluga, and Kursk regions, as well as above Krasnodar, the annexed Crimea, and the Azov and Black Seas.
