Russia's Tuapse hit by drones: Refinery and dock on fire
Fire at an oil refinery in Tuapse (Illustrative photo: Russian media)
In Tuapse, Krasnodar Krai, an oil refinery and a port pier caught fire, according to Russian media reports.
Around 11:00 p.m. on December 30, residents posted in community pages that the city was allegedly being attacked by drones of unknown origin.
Later, footage emerged showing the fire, reportedly at the local oil refinery.
Later, the operational headquarters of Krasnodar Krai confirmed that a drone attack had indeed hit the port pier and the local oil refinery.
According to reports, the fire at the refinery covered an area of 300 sq. meters. 64 personnel and 16 units of equipment were involved in extinguishing it.
Meanwhile, the pro-Ukrainian Telegram channel Exilenova+ reported that, according to preliminary data, the AVT-12 unit - a key component of primary oil processing responsible for atmospheric-vacuum distillation - was on fire at the local refinery.
As RBC-Ukraine reported, citing Bloomberg, Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy facilities reached a record high in December.
At least 24 strikes were recorded throughout the month on Russian oil refineries, oil tankers, and other maritime assets, as well as on key elements of the pipeline system.
Strikes on facilities in Tuapse
Regarding Tuapse, reports indicated that on November 10, naval drones attacked the local port, damaging one of the piers.
During the night, residents reported explosions in the city, and the drone threat alert lasted for nearly 8 hours.
Previously, it was reported that the Security Service of Ukraine, together with other security and defense forces, carried out a strike on an oil terminal in the Russian port of Tuapse in Krasnodar Krai.
Later, it became known that at the time of the strike, at least three ships were being loaded at the terminal. They had a semi-shadow status, which allowed investigators to determine their ownership.
