'Fuel tanks are burning' — Major Russian oil hub hit in Ukrainian drone strike in Krasnodar Krai, SBU source says
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Ukrainian forces struck infrastructure at the Tikhoretsk oil pumping station in Russia's Krasnodar Krai, one of the largest oil logistics hubs in southern Russia, a source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said on March 12.
"Today's strike on the Tikhoretsk oil hub, which is the only supply branch delivering petroleum products to Novorossiysk, delivered a significant blow to the enemy's oil logistics," the source said.
The operation was carried out by SBU's Alfa Special Operations Center and targeted the facility's infrastructure in the town of Tikhoretsk, according to the source. The site forms part of a major oil hub that includes a large oil depot and terminal used to handle Russian fuel and petroleum products.
The strike caused a large fire at the facility, the source said. Videos circulating online appear to show multiple fires at the site, likely involving fuel storage tanks.
Russian authorities confirmed the attack on the oil pumping station and said 26 pieces of equipment were deployed to extinguish the fire.
Ukraine previously targeted oil infrastructure at the Russian port of Novorossiysk earlier in March, in an operation the SBU said was conducted jointly with Ukraine's Defense Forces.
According to the SBU source, such operations are designed to disrupt supply chains, complicate fuel transport to Russian ports, and force Moscow to alter logistics routes, weakening Russia's ability to sustain the war.
Ukraine has increasingly targeted Russian oil depots, refineries, and logistics infrastructure with long-range drones as part of a broader campaign against Russia's industrial facilities supporting the war effort.
But the ongoing war in Iran could counteract this effort, at least in the short term — the war could be a boon for Russia, experts say, as turmoil in global energy markets changes the calculus for the world's largest petrostate.
January and February this year were bleak on the fiscal front for Russia, as low oil prices, a looming global oil glut, and compounding sanctions tightened the screws on Russia's energy sector.
The country relies in large part on its colossal oil and gas revenues to fund its full-scale invasion of Ukraine — now in its fifth year.
