On the night of April 28, Ukrainian drones launched another attack on a Russian oil refinery in Tuapse, Krasnodar Krai. A large fire broke out at the site of the strike.
According to Astra, an OSINT analyst suggests that the tank farm near the ELOU-AVT-12 unit was likely targeted.
Local authorities confirmed the attack and the fire, stating it was caused by “falling drone debris.” Over 120 people and 39 pieces of equipment are involved in firefighting efforts.
Eyewitnesses report that the drones approached the refinery from the sea at low altitude. Residents of Tuapse heard multiple explosions, followed by a massive blaze on the refinery grounds.
It is worth noting that only four days have passed since the large fire from the previous attack was fully extinguished.
Ukrainian strike drones targeted oil processing and storage facilities in Russian Tuapse on April 16 and 20. Only on April 24 did the authorities of Krasnodar Krai announce that the fire had been completely extinguished.
These strikes destroyed and damaged most of the tanks at the oil refinery.
According to the Oko Gora Telegram channel, 24 tanks have been destroyed, which accounts for 52% of the total. Another 4 units (9%) have been damaged. 18 tanks (39% of the fleet) remain intact.
Tuapse Oil Refinery
The Tuapse oil refinery itself is considered one of the most technologically advanced plants of Rosneft. The facility can process up to 12 million tons of oil per year, with a refining depth of around 98%, a very high rate. The refinery produces diesel fuel (Euro-5), fuel oil, vacuum gas oil, and aviation fuel.
To support such processing volume, the total capacity of the oil and petroleum product tanks exceeds 1.5 million cubic meters.
The tank farm includes dozens of vertical tanks (VSTs) of varying volumes (ranging from 5,000 to 50,000 m³ each). Despite this, the most important element of the refinery is the ELOU-AVT-12 unit.
