Reuters: Russia’s Tuapse halts fuel exports after Ukrainian drone strikes PHOTO

Russia’s Black Sea port of Tuapse has suspended fuel exports, and the local oil refinery halted crude processing following Ukrainian drone attacks on November 2 that targeted the port’s infrastructure, two industry sources and LSEG ship tracking data confirmed.

Ukraine confirmed that its drones struck Tuapse, one of Russia’s main Black Sea oil ports, causing a fire and damaging at least one vessel. Kyiv described the strikes as part of its ongoing effort to weaken Russia’s war economy by targeting energy infrastructure, Reuters reports.

The regional administration also confirmed that the attack sparked a fire at the port.

“Ukraine has for several months been striking Russian oil refineries, depots, and pipelines, while Ukrainian energy infrastructure has also been the target of Russian strikes in a war that is approaching its fourth year,” the sources noted.

Following the damage to port infrastructure, the Rosneft-controlled refinery—responsible for most of Tuapse’s export production—halted processing crude the next day. Rosneft (ROSN.MM) and Russia’s port agency did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Before the attack, Tuapse had been expected to increase oil product exports in November. According to LSEG data, three tankers were docked at the port during the strike, loading naphtha, diesel, and fuel oil. By November 5, all vessels had been moved from the berths and anchored nearby.

The Tuapse refinery, which has a processing capacity of 240,000 barrels per day, produces naphtha, fuel oil, vacuum gasoil, and high-sulfur diesel. It primarily exports its products to China, Malaysia, Singapore, and Türkiye and has been targeted by drones multiple times in recent months.

By Vafa Guliyeva