Deadly drone strike sparks major fires at Tuapse oil refinery in Russia PHOTO / VIDEO

A large fire continues to burn at the Tuapse Oil Refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar region following a drone (UAV) attack, according to local authorities and open-source intelligence (OSINT) analysts. A separate fire has also been observed offshore near the Black Sea coast, though its exact status remains unclear.

Officials say the number of casualties has risen to seven injured, with two confirmed fatalities. Among the dead are a 14-year-old girl and an adult woman whose identity has not yet been officially confirmed. The injured include one man, one minor, and three women, one of whom is reported to be in moderate condition in hospital, ASTRA data reports.

Authorities have declared a state of emergency in the Tuapse district. Falling debris from the drone strike caused widespread damage to civilian infrastructure, affecting at least 24 single-family homes and six apartment buildings. Two educational institutions and a music school were also damaged.

In a related incident, one person was injured in the nearby port city of Novorossiysk when drone debris struck a civilian vessel.

OSINT analysts report that fuel storage tanks are actively burning within the refinery complex. Satellite data from NASA’s FIRMS (Fire Information for Resource Management System) has detected thermal anomalies consistent with large fires in the area, although precise coordinates remain uncertain.

The Tuapse Oil Refinery is a major industrial facility operated by RN-Tuapse Refinery LLC, a subsidiary of Russia’s state-controlled oil giant Rosneft. The refinery is integrated with the RN-Tuapse Marine Terminal, forming a key part of the country’s petroleum export infrastructure on the Black Sea.

The situation remains ongoing as emergency services work to contain the fires and assess the full extent of the damage.

By Sabina Mammadli