Ukraine's military reportedly strikes oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar Krai, depot in occupied Luhansk Oblast
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include details on a strike on an oil depot in Tuapse.
Ukraine's military reportedly struck oil infrastructure in the various Russian and Russian-occupied regions late on Dec. 30, Russian Telegram media channels reported.
Preliminary reports indicate that Ukrainian forces struck the Tuapse Oil Refinery in Krasnodar Krai, Telegram channels reported.
A dock was damaged alongside equipment at the refinery, local authorities later reported, adding that five homes were damaged and two people were injured in the attack.
"A fire at one of the docks was promptly extinguished. A fire was also put out at the refinery site in an area of 300 square meters," the Krasnodar Krai Operational Headquarters said in an announcement.
Earlier in the night, Telegram media channels, citing resident reports, also claimed that Russian-occupied community of Rovenky in Luhansk Oblast was also attacked by Ukraine's military.
Photos and videos posted to social media and filmed by local residents appear to show large flames emanating the oil facilities in their respective communities.
The Kyiv Independent could not immediately verify reports of the strikes. Ukraine's military has not yet commented on the reported attack.
While it was not immediately clear as to what weaponry was used in the reported strikes, Ukraine routinely launches deep strikes against military and industrial facilities in Russia and Russian-occupied territories, primarily relying on domestically developed drones.
No information was immediately available on the extent of the damage caused.
Kyiv continues to escalate its campaign against Russian oil and gas infrastructure, a key source of Moscow's revenues helping to fuel its all-out invasion of Ukraine.
Tuapse, located in Russia's Krasnodar Krai, around 75 kilometers northwest of the major city of Sochi, has served as a regular target of Russian attacks. The coastal town is home to the Tuapse Oil Refinery, capable of refining approximately 12 million tons of crude oil per year.
It is also not the first time the Rovenky depot has been hit as Ukraine increases drone attacks on oil infrastructure. In October 2024, Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed Ukrainian troops in cooperation with the intelligence service (HUR) struck the depot.
Earlier this month, Russian oil prices dropped to the lowest level since the outbreak of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Bloomberg reported.
