Fire at Novorossiysk fuel terminal amid Ukrainian drone attack, Russian authorities say
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Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
A fire broke out at a fuel terminal in the southern Russian city of Novorossiysk overnight on May 23 amid a Ukrainian drone attack, local authorities and media channels reported.
The Grushovaya oil terminal, part of the major Sheskharis Transshipment Complex, was struck by Ukrainian drones, leaving a fire, independent Telegram news channel Exilenova Plus reported.
Meanwhile, the Krasnodar Krai Operational Headquarters claimed that the fire broke out at an unnamed facility as a result of fallen drone debris.
"Several technical and administrative buildings caught fire. Fragments of drones also fell on the territory of the fuel terminal," the Operational Headquarters said in a Telegram post.
The site is a major oil export terminal that serves as the endpoint for pipelines run by Russia's state-run Transneft, the world's largest oil pipeline company.
Two people were injured in the Ukrainian drone attack, authorities reported.
The Sheskharis oil terminal has already been struck by Ukrainian drones several times, including on April 6 and on March 2.
Ukraine regularly strikes military infrastructure deep within Russia and occupied territories in an effort to diminish Moscow's capacity to continue waging its war. Kyiv considers energy sites legitimate targets as they fuel Russia's war machine.
On May 21, Ukrainian forces attacked an oil refinery in the Russian city of Syzran in the Samara Oblast overnight, President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed.
"This is yet another of our long-range sanctions against the Russian oil refining industry, and we will continue along this path," Zelensky said, adding that the target was located more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
