Ukrainian drone strikes reportedly hit a major Russian oil refinery in the early hours on Thursday, causing explosions, fires and casualties in the southern region of Krasnodar Krai.
According to local reports and open-source analysis, the Tuapse Oil Refinery—a major facility operated by Rosneft and among Russia’s largest refineries—was struck during an overnight drone attack, with eyewitnesses describing explosions and fires in fuel storage areas.
Residents in the port city of Tuapse reported multiple blasts, with some claiming fuel tanks were hit.
A Russian opposition Telegram channel cited by independent analysts suggested the refinery was on fire following the strike. However, these accounts have not been independently verified, the Kyiv Independent reported.
Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said: “With the goal of lowering the enemy’s advance capabilities, we are maintaining a high strike intensity on military, defence industry, and other facilities on Russian territory that sustain the occupier’s activities.”
Regional officials acknowledged that an “enterprise in the seaport area” had been damaged by falling drone debris, though they did not explicitly name the refinery.
The governor of Krasnodar Krai also reported damage to residential buildings and confirmed casualties in the city.
Local authorities said two children, aged five and fourteen, were killed, and two adults were injured. Educational institutions in Tuapse were closed for the day following the incident.
The refinery, located around 75 kilometres northwest of Sochi, has a processing capacity of approximately 12 million tonnes of petroleum products per year and plays a significant role in supplying fuel, including diesel and other refined products, to Russia’s military logistics network.
The facility has been repeatedly targeted in previous Ukrainian drone strikes, some of which have temporarily disrupted operations.
Ukrainian officials have not confirmed the attack, and battlefield claims from both sides remain difficult to independently verify during the ongoing conflict.
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