Updated: Ukraine hits Russia's Tuapse oil refinery, source confirms
Editor's note: The article was updated with comments from the Kyiv Independent's source in Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR).
An oil refinery in the Russian town of Tuapse on the Black Sea coast caught fire after over 75 drones targeted multiple Russian regions overnight on July 22, local authorities said.
The strike against the refinery was carried out by Ukraine's military intelligence service (HUR), a source in the agency confirmed for the Kyiv Independent later the same day.
Russian Telegram channels claimed that the attack also started a fire near the Morozovsk airbase in Rostov Oblast.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the reports.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed its forces intercepted eight drones over Krasnodar Krai, 47 drones over Rostov Oblast, one each over Belgorod, Voronezh, and Smolensk oblasts, and 17 over the Black and Azov seas.
The eight drones targeting Krasnodar Krai have been shot down around Tuapse between 3:17 to 4:20 a.m. local time, local official Sergey Boyko claimed, saying that there were no casualties or damage.
During a second wave of attack later in the morning, drone debris fell on the territory of the Tuapse oil refinery, resulting in damage and a fire that has been later extinguished, the official said.
Russian Telegram channels said that Tuapse locals reported two series of loud explosions in the morning. The Shot channel shared footage of what appears to be an attacking drone and a plume of smoke rising over the targeted area.
The extent of damage is currently being determined, the Kyiv Independent's source said.
Rosneft's Tuapse refinery has been repeatedly targeted by Ukrainian strikes over the past months. Following an earlier strike, the facility underwent an emergency shutdown in May.
According to the Kyiv Independent's source, the refinery produces 12 million metric tons of product per year, with around 90% of it being earmarked for export.
Ukraine has escalated attacks against Russia's oil industry, successfully reducing the processing capacities of multiple facilities.
The Astra channel also claimed that drones targeted the Morozovsk airbase, resulting in a fire in its vicinity. No further details on the possible consequences were provided at the moment.
Rostov Oblast Governor Vasily Golubev alleged that only dry vegetation caught fire as a result of the fallen debris, which was quickly extinguished.
The Morozovsk airbase has also been targeted by Ukraine before. A source in intelligence agencies told the Kyiv Independent in April that six warplanes stationed at the airfield had been destroyed in a Ukrainian attack.
Elsa Court
