Emergency responders have successfully contained a massive blaze at a Russian oil facility along the Black Sea coast following a Ukrainian drone strike, regional authorities announced Thursday.
The fire at the Tuapse oil terminal had been raging for four consecutive days after Ukrainian forces targeted the facility on April 16. Industry insiders revealed earlier this week that the refinery, which primarily exports its petroleum products, suspended all operations due to the attack.
Regional emergency officials in Krasnodar posted on social media that crews had successfully controlled the flames at the coastal facility. “At the Tuapse sea terminal, the fire was brought under control and open flames were extinguished,” the emergency command stated. “Work to completely extinguish the fire is continuing.”
A substantial emergency response remained active at the location, with 276 firefighting personnel and 77 emergency vehicles still working the scene, according to official reports.
Environmental concerns emerged Wednesday when authorities detected dangerous levels of toxic chemicals in the air. Fire byproducts combined with recent rainfall created elevated concentrations of benzene, xylene and particulate matter, prompting officials to advise local residents to stay inside and seal their windows. No updated air quality information was released Thursday.
The attack represents part of Ukraine’s expanded campaign targeting Russian energy facilities, occurring as U.S. attention has reportedly shifted toward conflicts involving Iran rather than mediating the Russia-Ukraine war.
Russian authorities reported that strikes on both April 16 and April 20 caused significant damage to Tuapse’s port transportation systems and ignited petroleum storage areas.
Separately, sources confirmed Thursday that another drone attack sparked a fire at a Transneft pumping facility in the Nizhny Novgorod region, which supplies crude oil to Russia’s primary Baltic Sea export terminal at Primorsk.
