Ukraine strikes oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar Krai for 2nd time in a week, sparking major fire, General Staff confirms
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Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
Ukrainian forces hit the Tuapse oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar Krai during an overnight attack on April 20, striking the tank farm and causing a fire, Ukraine's General Staff said.
Krasnodar Krai Governor Veniamin Kondratyev confirmed the attack "at the seaport of Tuapse," without specifying the target struck in the attack. Kondratyev claimed that one person was killed and another injured in the attack.
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 at least two storage tanks were burning at the refinery.
The attack is the second strike on the Tuapse refinery within a week, after the facility was similarly set ablaze in an overnight attack on April 16.
In addition to the oil refinery, Ukraine struck the Hvardiiske oil depot in Russian-occupied Crimea, as well as two landing ships of Project 1171 and Project 775. The extent of the damage is being clarified, the General Staff said.
The Kyiv Independent could not immediately verify the reports nor claims made by Russian officials.
Later in the morning, Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) commander Robert Brovdi confirmed the attack, saying the strike was a joint operation by the USF, Special Operations Forces, and HUR military intelligence agency.
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.
