Tuesday, April 28, 2026 8:13:42 AM
A major fire broke out at the Tuapse oil refinery after it was hit by a swarm of drones, sending massive plumes of smoke over the southern Russian city. According to local reports, at least 20 drones targeted the facility overnight on April 28-the third such strike in two weeks-causing what Russian media are calling an environmental disaster.
Unlike previous attacks, which hit storage tanks, this assault struck directly at the refinery’s operational infrastructure. The resulting fires spread rapidly, plunging the city into darkness as thick smoke blanketed the area.
Authorities have begun evacuating residents from neighborhoods near the refinery as the situation grows increasingly dire. Sergei Boyko, the head of the Tuapse district, ordered the evacuation of homes on Pushkin Street, Koshkin Street and nearby alleyways, fearing the fire could spread further.
Open-source analysis by ASTRA indicates the latest strike hit storage tanks next to the primary oil processing unit, ELOU-AVT-12. According to the Ukrainian Telegram channel Kiberboroshno, at least four tanks caught fire as a result of the attack, which appears to have severely impacted refinery operations for the first time after two earlier attacks on April 16 and 20 left main production machinery largely unscathed.
One of the fire’s hotspots is dangerously close to the Tuapse River. Images from the city show burning oil products reaching the waterfront. Reports also suggest the port terminal became a secondary target.
Residents have taken to social media to criticize officials for what they describe as inaction after previous attacks led to an oil spill. Locals say oil products are being hauled away by truck, but “oil rain” is still hitting Tuapse, and black streams of oil can be seen in the river. City workers have been seen removing oil with shovels, while beaches and the riverbank are reportedly coated in fuel, with some warning the spill could soon impact the Black Sea.
Despite Russian officials trying to keep their messaging subdued, pro-government media outlets are calling the situation in Tuapse an environmental catastrophe spiraling out of control.
April 28 marks the third attack on the refinery in just two weeks. Following the April 20 strike, a fire raged for four days before being brought under control. ASTRA reports that the refinery has now halted its only oil processing unit. As one of Rosneft’s major facilities, Tuapse refinery boasts a processing capacity of 12 million tons per year.
Robert “Madyar” Brovdi, commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Drone Systems, has announced that attacks on Russian oil refineries will intensify. “If oil refineries are tools to make money used for war, then they are valid military targets and should be destroyed,” Brovdi told the BBC in a recent interview.
According to Brovdi, Drone Systems units make up just 2% of the Ukrainian army but are responsible for a third of all successful strikes. “Areas 1,500 to 2,000 kilometers inside Russia are no longer a peaceful rear,” he emphasized. Brovdi added that Ukraine’s “freedom-loving bird flies wherever and whenever it wants.”
“Putin extracts natural resources and turns them into bloody dollars, which are then used against us in the form of Shaheds and ballistic missiles,” Brovdi said.
(C)UKRINFORM 2026