Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include information about the strike on Tuapse Oil Refinery from sources inside Ukraine’s military intelligence and reports from Ukraine’s General Staff. Read the latest here.
Ukraine carried out strikes on oil infrastructure inside Russia late on Dec. 30, sources inside Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) told the Kyiv Independent.
The operation targeted Tuapse Oil Refinery in Krasnodar Krai on Russia’s Black Sea coast, and struck transport pipelines, a sea terminal and other equipment, the sources said.
Local authorities reported that a dock was damaged alongside equipment at the refinery, 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.
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.
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.
The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces later confirmed that a Ukrainian drone attack hit the Tuapse Oil Refinery, causing a fire and damaging the facility’s central processing unit.
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.
Earlier in the night, Telegram media channels, citing resident reports, also claimed that an oil depot in the Russian-occupied community of Rovenky in Luhansk Oblast was attacked by Ukraine’s military.
Photos and videos posted to social media and filmed by local residents appear to show large flames at the facility.
The Kyiv Independent could not immediately verify reports of the strikes.
Ukraine has previously struck the Rovenky depot. In October 2024, Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed Ukrainian troops in cooperation with the intelligence service (HUR) carried out an attack.
No information was immediately available on the extent of the damage caused.
Earlier this month, Russian oil prices dropped to the lowest level since the outbreak of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Bloomberg reported.