Ukrainian drones reportedly strike oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar Krai
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Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
Ukrainian drones reportedly struck the Tuapse Oil Refinery in southern Russia's Krasnodar Krai during an overnight attack on April 20, as Kyiv continues efforts to disrupt Moscow's war funding.
Russian Telegram media channels, citing resident account, reported explosions in the area of the port. Large flames were seen emanating from the area amid reports that two storage tanks were burning at the refinery.
The Kyiv Independent cannot immediately verify the reports nor the exact location of the strike.
Ukraine's military has not yet commented on the strikes and the extent of the damage caused was unclear.
The Tuapse Oil Refinery, a Rosneft facility, is one of the 10 largest oil refineries in Russia. The refinery is capable of refining approximately 12 million tons of crude oil per year.
Ukraine has increased strikes on Russian oil infrastructure in recent months, as it aims to reduce the Kremlin's most important revenue source — given a boost by the skyrocketing oil prices that have followed the war in Iran.
Tuapse is located around 75 kilometers northwest of the major city of Sochi, has served as a regular target of Russian attacks.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 19 that Kyiv's long-range strikes on Russian oil infrastructure inflicted at least $2.3 billion in lost oil revenue for Russia in March alone. That month, long-range Ukrainian drone attacks and shadow fleet tanker seizures reportedly disabled about 40% of Russia's oil export capacity.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on April 14 upgraded Russia's growth forecasts for 2026 by 0.3% off the back of higher energy prices. The fund now forecasts that Russia's economy will grow by 1.1% in 2026.
