Explosions in Russia's Tuapse port spark smoke, reports suggest possible ship damage
Illustrative photo (flot com)
Smoke has been observed at the port of Tuapse after explosions were reported overnight on November 29. Online reports suggest that a large Russian landing ship may have been damaged, according to the Telegram channel Crimean Wind.
Photos of Tuapse port in Krasnodar Krai have been shared online, showing smoke rising from one of the berths.
According to Crimean Wind, this berth is equipped with cranes for loading civilian vessels. Satellite images from SentinelHub on November 20 revealed a 135-meter-long vessel docked there, potentially a large landing ship.
"This matches the class of Russian warships known as Project 11711 Ivan Gren. Currently, there is only one such ship in the Black Sea, the Pyotr Morgunov from Russia's Northern Fleet," the report says.
In February 2022, the Pyotr Morgunov arrived to bolster Russia's Black Sea Fleet and has been primarily based in the port of Novorossiysk. Commissioned into the Russian Navy in January 2020, it is one of the newest ships in the fleet.
t.me/Crimeanwind
Explosions in Tuapse
Loud explosions were heard near the Tuapse port area in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, during the night of November 29. Russians on social media attributed the noise to an alleged drone attack.
Images of a Tuapse beach showing smoke rising above the sea near the port have also surfaced online. There were suggestions that drones might have been attempting to strike the Tuapse oil refinery.
