Ukrainian drone attack on an oil terminal in the Black Sea. Photo source: X
A Ukrainian drone attack damaged and set fire to an oil tanker and the infrastructure of a major oil terminal in the Black Sea port of Tuapse overnight, authorities in the southern Krasnodar region said on Sunday.
The attack on the southern exit point for Russia's crude and refined products came a day after traders told Reuters shipments from the seaport would rise in November, threatening knock-on effects on export flows.
“In the port of Tuapse, fragments of unmanned aerial vehicles fell on an oil tanker, damaging the deck superstructure,” the administration said on Telegram.
“A fire has broken out on the ship. The crew has been evacuated.”
The port is home to the Tuapse Black Sea oil terminal and an oil refinery controlled by Rosneft, which Ukraine has targeted with several drone attacks this year.
The city is a vital hub for Russian oil exports, with terminals and infrastructure critical to the country's energy logistics, according to The Kyiv Independent.
It is not known if the terminal was still operational after the attack, which the administration said damaged buildings and other infrastructure.
Unofficial Telegram news channels in Russia and Ukraine published images that appeared to show a burning terminal and an oil tanker at night, reporting more fires near the port. Reuters said it could not independently verify this information.
The Ukrainian military has not yet commented on this information, and the extent of the attack is unclear.
Kiev has stepped up its attacks on Russian refineries, warehouses and pipelines in recent months to cut fuel supplies, disrupt military logistics and raise war costs, a campaign it calls retaliation for Russian attacks on its power grid.
Drone debris also damaged an apartment building in the village of Sosnovyi, located near the city of Tuapse. No casualties were reported, although the train station in Tuapse suffered some minor damage, the regional administration said.
