Ukraine has allegedly conducted another drone attack on an oil facility near a Russian port, this time a Rosneft refinery on the Black Sea.
The attack at the town of Tuapse comes days after Ukraine conducted a drone strike on an oil and gas facility in the Baltic port of Ust-Luga.
Russian emergency services confirmed on Thursday morning that teams were battling a blaze that broke out at the Rosneft refinery, close to Tuapse’s port, which serves as a major conduit for Russian crude exported out of the Black Sea.
A Reuters report quoted local authorities as saying the fire was being brought under control and there were no casualties.
Domestic media outlets indicated that the explosion that led to the fire was caused by a drone attack.
TradeWinds understands that Tuapse’s port has not been affected.
Vessel tracking website MarineTraffic on Thursday morning showed that there were four tankers, four bulkers and a ropax in the port.
Reuters reported that 1.47m tonnes of oil was shipped out of Tuapse in December.
Ukraine has frequently targeted Russian oil facilities in an effort to dampen exports that fund the war between the two countries.
On Sunday morning, Ukraine attacked a Novatek oil and gas facility in Ust-Luga in one of its most far-reaching drone attacks to date.
Port operations were suspended while emergency services tackled the blaze. Operations at Ust-Luga, however, have now resumed, according to vessel trackers that show tankers loading and departing the terminal since Wednesday.
Second strike
Tuapse, around 435 km from Ukrainian-held territory north of Mariupol, is no stranger to Ukrainian drone raids.
The same Rosneft refinery and depot attacked on Thursday was subjected to a drone strike in February 2023 that also caused a large fire.
Russian authorities responded by stationing a Pantsir air defence system in the port.
The damage caused by drones on Russia’s oil infrastructure is relatively minor and is usually repaired quite quickly.
However, any disruption, even if lasting only several days, is costly to the country’s oil-based economy.
More importantly, by targeting facilities in distant places such as Tuapse and Ust-Luga, Ukraine is able to demonstrate that no Russian ports can be considered safe.
