Significant fires erupted in Tuapse following a recent drone strike on the local oil refinery and marine terminal. Authorities have initiated an evacuation in response to the escalating situation.
Residents described the previous night as “terrifying” due to the intensity of the fires. Temporary flight restrictions have also been imposed at airports in Krasnodar, Gelendzhik, and Sochi as a precautionary measure.
The governor of Krasnodar Krai, Veniamin Kondratyev, confirmed the incident, stating, “Another serious emergency has occurred in Tuapse. A large fire broke out at the refinery due to an attack by hostile drones.”
On the night of April 28, Tuapse faced another wave of drone assaults, with locals reporting over a dozen explosions. One social media post detailed, “Gunfire could be heard intermittently, and bright flashes were visible in the sky. In one area, a fire ignited at the site where drone debris fell, with flames and smoke visible.”
The drone strikes targeted two key locations:
- Tuapse Oil Refinery (NPP) – specifically the tank farm adjacent to the processing facility;
- The marine terminal.
At least two storage tanks caught fire following the strikes, and reports of a subsequent attack indicated that new fires had ignited in areas where previous blazes had not yet been extinguished.
Residents have expressed ongoing concerns about the aftermath of earlier fires, noting a pervasive smell of smoke in the air and sightings of local wildlife covered in oil. Social media discussions have referred to the phenomenon as “oil rains,” as petroleum products from the damaged tanks are being transported away by trucks.
This incident marks yet another attack on the Tuapse refinery. According to reports from RBC-Ukraine, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine clarified the impact of a previous strike in mid-April, which resulted in the destruction of 24 storage tanks and damage to another four.
Following the initial attack on April 16, operations at the refinery were largely halted. The aftermath of those strikes produced a thick plume of smoke that extended over 300 kilometers, reaching as far as Stavropol.
Recent drone attacks in Tuapse have led to significant fires at an oil refinery and marine terminal, prompting evacuations and flight restrictions. This incident follows previous assaults on the facility, raising ongoing concerns among local residents.