Drones ignite massive fire at strategic Russian refinery
During the night of March 13th to 14th, drones assaulted the refinery in Tuapse, located in Russia's Krasnodar Krai, sparking a blaze. The refinery, owned by the Rosneft company, ranks among the ten largest in Russia and is the only one situated on the Black Sea coast.
Drones targeted the refinery in Tuapse, Krasnodar Krai, during the night of March 13th to 14th. According to reports from Russian Telegram channels, locals heard about 10 loud explosions around 2:00 AM GMT. An air raid alarm followed, and a fire erupted near the facility.
Residents began sharing photos and videos of the burning refinery online. The Mash channel on Telegram indicated that the explosions were responsible for the fire at the Tuapse refinery. Russian sources assert that the blaze originated from debris of a downed drone.
The Governor of Krasnodar Krai, Veniamin Kondratyev, confirmed the attack on the refinery and conveyed that one of the fuel warehouses had caught fire. “The fire spans an area of over 1,000 square metres,” he added. This information was reported by the “Pravda” website.
The Tuapse refinery: A key facility on the Black Sea coast
The refinery in Tuapse, owned by Rosneft, is among the ten largest in Russia and the only one on the Black Sea coast. It processes 12 million tonnes of oil annually, and its products are exported via a maritime terminal. Despite the swift response from firefighters, the situation was severe, though no casualties were reported.
The attack on the Tuapse refinery is part of a wider campaign by Ukrainian drones, which have recently targeted several Russian sites. Russian air defence was found lacking, underlining rising tensions in the area. Even though eight drones were downed near Tuapse, the incident caused alarm among local officials and residents.
The atmosphere in the region remains strained, and military operations persist, influencing Russia's energy security. These events underline the delicate nature of the current geopolitical climate and its potential impact on essential economic sectors.
