Ukraine drone strike damages port, gas pipeline in Russia's Tuapse
Russian authorities report infrastructure damage in Krasnodar region, mentioning no injuries reported after overnight attack.
Ukrainian drone attack has damaged port infrastructure and a gas pipeline in a residential area of the Black Sea port city of Tuapse, Russian regional authorities said, adding that no injuries were reported.
The operational headquarters of Russia’s Krasnodar region said emergency crews were dispatched to repair the damage following the overnight attack.
In a statement posted on Telegram, the regional administration said that a port berth had been damaged and that a gas pipeline in a residential area was also affected.
SHOT, a Telegram news channel with sources in Russia’s security services, reported that a series of explosions was heard over Tuapse late on Tuesday.
Residents in one district also reported a fire, according to the channel.
A vital port for Russia
Several Ukrainian media outlets, including RBC-Ukraine, published images on Telegram appearing to show a large fire burning in the distance at night, with a communications mast visible in the foreground.
There was no immediate official comment from Kiev on the reported attack.
Tuapse is one of Russia’s key Black Sea outlets for oil products and is home to an export-oriented refinery operated by Rosneft.
The Tuapse refinery has the capacity to process around 240,000 barrels per day and supplies products including naphtha, fuel oil and diesel, making the port a strategic energy hub.
The port and refinery have been repeatedly targeted by Ukrainian drone attacks since the war started four years ago.
Previous strikes have reportedly sparked fires and, at times, disrupted operations at the facility.
Russian authorities did not say whether port operations had been affected by the latest incident.