Ukraine's New Card In War Strategy: Attacks On Russian Oil Infrastructure

Heavy, black smoke rose above the Tuapse refinery as firefighters battled the blaze. More than 160 firefighters were deployed, with 300 more on the way. Oil products spilled onto the streets; authorities reported acid rain and elevated readings of benzene, xylene, and soot. Evacuations were ordered due to harmful emissions. The flow of oil products into the Black Sea was stopped and booms deployed to contain spills. The refinery remained halted since the April 16 attack, and a large-scale environmental impact was noted by authorities.

A second drone attack damaged the Tuapse refinery, with reports that the earlier attacks had destroyed 24 oil storage tanks and damaged four others.

A drone attack hit the Tuapse oil refinery, triggering a fire and heavy smoke; operations were halted and firefighting crews worked to contain the blaze.

Rosneft diverted oil supplies to the Tuapse refinery from the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk after the terminal was heavily damaged in a drone attack, according to Reuters. The move occurred three days before Tuapse was first attacked.

Analyses noted that over the past month, Russia's Ust-Luga and Primorsk oil export terminals in the Baltic Sea were also struck by drones, cutting up to 40 per cent of oil export revenue. Additional targets included a Transneft-Port Primorsk terminal, a Saratov refinery, and the Bashneft-Ufaneftekhim refinery, per Al Jazeera.