Russia’s biggest oil refinery in Black Sea damaged in Ukraine drone attack, say officials
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The Tuapse plant has been a target of several Ukrainian air attacks since the start of the war.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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MOSCOW – Russia’s Tuapse oil refinery, its biggest in the Black Sea area, was damaged in a major Ukrainian drone attack overnight that sparked a fire, Russian officials said on July 22.
The extent of the damage, though, was not immediately clear.
Debris from the drone, which was shot down, caused a fire at the refinery, which is owned by oil major Rosneft, the officials said.
The fire has since been contained, the regional administration said on the Telegram messaging app.
Russia’s “Shot” and “Mash” Telegram news channels reported that a series of blasts were heard near the refinery early on July 22.
There were no casualties, officials said. Reuters was unable to immediately verify whether the refinery was operational or to establish the extent of the damage it had sustained.
Ukraine has been systematically targeting Russian energy infrastructure in an attempt to disrupt Russia’s economy and its ability to fund what the Kremlin calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials say the attacks have been carried out in retaliation against Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy system. Russia says the drone attacks by Ukraine amount to acts of terrorism.
Overall, Russia’s Defence Ministry said its air defence systems had destroyed a total of 75 drones launched overnight by Ukraine, including eight near Tuapse.
The Tuapse plant, which has a processing capacity of 240,000 barrels a day of oil, has been a target of several Ukrainian air attacks since the start of the war that Russia launched against Ukraine in 2022.
The Tuapse refinery produces naphtha, fuel oil, vacuum gas oil and high-sulphur diesel, supplying fuel mainly to Turkey, China, Malaysia and Singapore.
In 2023, the plant processed 9.322 million tonnes of crude oil, producing 3.306 million tonnes of gas oil and 3.123 million tonnes of fuel oil.
Of the 75 drones launched overnight, Russia’s ministry said 47 drones had been downed over the Rostov region in Russia, 17 over the waters of the Black and Azov seas, eight over the Krasnodar region, where Tuapse is located, and single ones over the Belgorod, Voronezh and Smolensk regions.
Russian officials rarely disclose the full extent of damage inflicted by Ukrainian attacks.
Mr Vasily Golubev, governor of the Rostov region, said on Telegram no one was injured as a result of the attack there and that no serious damage had been detected.
Reuters could not independently verify the Russian reports. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine. REUTERS
