RFE
28 Apr 2026

Ukrainian drones hit the large Russian Black Sea oil facility terminals at Tuapse for the third time in 12 days, sparking another billowing fire and prompting evacuations.

The April 28 attack, which Ukraine's military confirmed, came soon after firefighters extinguished the blazes from previous attacks. The region now faces a looming environmental disaster, with large amounts of oil washing up on local beaches and reports of oil droplets raining down from the sky.

"A large-scale fire broke out at the oil refinery following an attack by enemy drones,"saidVenyamin Kondratyev, the governor of Russia's southern Krasnodar region.

"An evacuation is currently under way to ensure the safety of residents living near the oil refinery," he added.

The Tuapse site includes the refinery, which is operated by Russian state oil giant Rosneft and can process around 240,000 barrels of crude oil per day and supplies products such as fuel oil and diesel, as well as Russia's main Black Sea oil export terminal and related facilities.