Pro-Ukrainian partisans 'blinded' Russian air defenses on night of drone attack on major oil depot, Atesh group claims
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The pro-Ukrainian Atesh partisan group claimed on May 25 that its members "blinded" Russian air defenses on the night of a May 23 Ukrainian drone attack on a major Novorossiysk oil depot.
"Agents of our movement carried out a series of sabotage attacks on communication and energy facilities in the Novorossiysk area on the eve of a strike by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the 'Grushovaya' oil depot," a statement posted to Telegram read.
Following Ukraine's May 23 attack on the infrastructure, the General Staff confirmed separate Ukrainian strikes on the Sheskharis oil terminal and the Grushovaya oil depot in Novorossiysk, as well as on the tanker "Chrysalis," which Kyiv described as part of Russia's so-called "shadow fleet."
According to the military, fires were recorded at both oil facilities following the strikes.
"Our people disabled several communication towers that ensured coordination between air defense units in the area and damaged a transformer substation that supplied power to some military and communication facilities," the statement read.
"Without electricity, large stationary radars lost their stable operation. (Drone) reconnaissance on the outskirts of Novorossiysk was effectively blinded — air defense units lost the ability to respond to low-flying targets in a timely manner."
The Grushovaya oil depot is the largest oil storage facility in the Caucasus region, with a capacity of 1.2 million tons of petroleum product, the group said.
Ukraine's military previously said the facility is involved in supplying fuel and petroleum products to the Russian army.
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.
