Editor’s note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
Ukrainian drones struck an oil refinery in the southern Russian city of Tuapse overnight on April 28 for the third time in two weeks, Unmanned Systems Forces commander Robert “Magyar” Brovdi confirmed.
Tuapse has faced intensified strikes in recent days, including strikes on an oil refinery on April 20 and April 16, leaving multi-day fires burning in the Russian town.
After the April 20 strike, 24 storage tanks were destroyed and four more damaged, according to Ukraine’s General Staff. A fire ignited by the initial April 16 attack had been contained, but a second strike reignited it and significantly worsened the situation, with flames burning continuously since then.
Videos shared by local residents on social media showed a large plume of smoke rising above the refinery, along with rainfall that left a black film on surfaces and dark puddles in its wake.
Local authorities did not acknowledge the environmental impact until April 23, saying large amounts of combustion byproducts had been released into the atmosphere and urging residents to limit time outdoors.
Video shows a towering column of smoke rising above an oil refinery in the city after an April 28, 2026, attack. (Exilenova+/Telegram)
Following the April 28 attack, the Krasnodar Krai Emergency Response Headquarters said a fire broke out at the refinery after what it described as the “fall of drone debris.”
The headquarters said there were no casualties.
Russia’s air defenses intercepted 186 Ukrainian drones over several southern Russian regions and occupied Crimea, Russia’s Defense Ministry said on April 28.
The claims could not be immediately verified by the Kyiv Independent.
Tuapse is located about 233 kilometers (145 miles) from Ukraine, at the southeastern coast of occupied Crimea, and approximately 500 kilometers (310 miles) from Ukrainian-controlled territory near the city of Zaporizhzhia.
Ukraine regularly strikes military infrastructure deep inside Russia and the occupied territories in an effort to diminish Moscow’s capacity to continue waging war on Ukraine.
Kyiv considers energy facilities to be valid military targets, as the energy sites provide fuel and funding for the Kremlin’s war machine.
On April 26, an oil refinery in the Russian city of Yaroslavl and several targets inside Russian-occupied territories were struck by Ukrainian drones overnight, Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed.