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Third Ukrainian Strike Damages Russian Oil Terminal at Tuapse

Tuapse
Via Russian social media / ExileNova

Published Apr 28, 2026 3:51 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

For the third time this month, Ukraine's drone forces have launched a long-range attack on the Russian port of Tuapse, hitting oil export and refining infrastructure that contributes to the financing of the ongoing invasion. 

The Tuapse facility has the capacity to refine about 12 million tonnes of oil per year, equivalent to about 4-5 percent of Russian refining capacity. Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces have been rotating through a target deck of Russian oil export ports, tank farms, pipelines and refineries, stretching from the Baltic to the Urals to the Black Sea. These deep strike drone flights have slipped through thin spots in Russian air defenses, often several nights in a row, then moved on to the next target before reinforcements arrive. The attacks have increasingly been getting through. 

After hitting Novorossiysk, Ust-Luga and Primorsk hard in March, the USF switched to Tuapse on April 16, 20 and 27. The second attack destroyed more than a dozen tanks and related pipeline systems, polluting the port city with smoke and droplets of tarry residue. Runoff from breached tanks - including heavy fuel oil - flooded into the river and out into the Black Sea, leaving a slick and depositing tarballs on nearby beaches. 

But the third and most recent strike appears to have had more dramatic effects. Imagery taken from miles away shows smoke spiraling upwards into the sky, reaching thunderhead altitudes. Residents near the refinery have been evacuated from the area for safety, according to the BBC, and have been instructed to wear masks and wash off any residues they come in contact with.  

 

 

 

On Tuesday morning, regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev said that conditions at the scene of the fire were "extremely difficult," and that firefighters were hard at work in attempting to contain the damage. 

Moscow has accused Ukraine of attempting to further tighten global oil supplies at a time when the market is already severely strained by the Hormuz crisis. Ukraine acknowledges that its objective is to prevent Russia from exporting oil, as Kyiv does not want to see it profit from current high prices; the additional revenue would help the Russian military blunt some of Ukraine's new technological advantages on the front lines. 

If past practice is a guide, the strikes will likely continue. Robert Brovdi, the commander of the USF, said in a social media message that the latest Tuapse attack was just "regular thermal disposal" of Russian oil, hinting that the pattern is the new normal for his forces.