Ukraine confirms drone strikes on seaport, oil refinery in Russia
Editor's Note: The article was updated at 2 p.m. after the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces confirmed the drone strike.
Ukrainian drones hit Russia's Temryuk seaport in Krasnodar Krai and the Syzran Oil Refinery in Samara Oblast overnight, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Dec. 5.
The General Staff said it conducted the operation to "reduce the military and economic potential of the Russian aggressor," as domestically produced Ukrainian drones continue to target infrastructure associated with the Russian army deep inside Russia.
The Temryuk port handles the shipment of various cargo types, including liquified natural gas, which is then used to supply the Russian army, according to the General Staff. It added that fire erupted after a Ukrainian drone hit the facility, and that the extent of the damage is still being assessed.
The Syzran Oil Refinery is another infrastructure site that supports the Russian logistics, with an annual processing capacity of 7 to 8.9 million tons of oil, the General Staff reported. An earlier Ukrainian drone strike that allegedly damaged a primary oil purification installation has already limited the refinery's capability, being forced to "completely" suspend primary processing of crude oil and operate at less than 50% of its design capacity, the General Staff alleged.
Ukraine's confirmation of its drone strikes comes hours after Russian officials and media reported them earlier in the day.
The Temryuk port was damaged after a drone strike caused fires to break out on site, the Krasnodar Krai Operational Headquarters reported. Earlier, local residents said the port was under attack and that fuel tanks were burning.
Regional authorities did not specify what was hit at the port, but said "elements of the port infrastructure in Temryuk were damaged." All personnel were evacuated and there were no casualties, according to the Operational Headquarters.
The Temryuk port is a key Russian facility in the Sea of Azov. It operates an oil export terminal, receiving, storing, and shipping Russian petroleum products. It also houses a large liquefied petroleum gas facility.
According to eyewitness footage analyzed by the Russian opposition news outlet Astra, a gas terminal was in flames after the attack at the Temryuk port.
The same night, residents of the city of Syzran in Samara Oblast reported explosions at the local oil refinery, according to Astra. Residents posted videos and images of the attack on social media.
Syzran Mayor Sergey Volodchenkov confirmed the drone attack against the city but did not mention any targets by name.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify these reports at the time of publication.
The Syzran Oil Refinery, lying around 700 kilometers (430 miles) from the Russia-Ukraine border, was opened in 1942 and belongs to the Russian state-owned oil company Rosneft. It has a reported annual processing capacity of 8.5 million tons.
The facility has been targeted in previous drone as part of Ukraine's campaign against the Russian oil industry, which provides funding and fuel for Moscow's war machine.
Ukraine repeatedly uses homegrown long-range drones to launch attacks on Russia's oil infrastructure. Ukrainian government and military officials have referred to these strikes as Kyiv's "long-range sanctions."
