Explosions heard in Tuapse amid drone attack, with refinery on fire

Detonations echoed through the Krasnodar region of Russia close to the city of Tuapse during the evening of March 14, following alerts about an expected air assault. Reports indicated that attacks had hit a nearby oil refinery, resulting in a blaze, as per statements from Russian news sources and regional online platforms.

Videos of the blaze at the oil refinery in Tuapse have been circulated on social media, purportedly triggered by an assault involving unmanned aerial vehicles.

At the same time, local authorities have not yet commented on the nighttime strikes in the region.

The Telegram channel Mash reported an attack on the Tuapse Oil Refinery. As stated by the Russian source, a fire erupted at the facility following the crash of a drone.

Moreover, there were reports of a brief limitation on operations at Sochi Airport due to the implementation of the Carpet plan following alleged drone attacks. This strategy includes the suspension and resumption of flight activities at the facility.

As reported by local residents, they heard multiple drones in action around 3 A.M., followed by approximately seven blasts. According to Mash’s posting, the city’s anti-aircraft defenses are active.

Position of Tuapse on the map (image: screenshot from google.com/maps)

Explosions in Tuapse

The explosions in Tuapse are not unprecedented events. For instance, on July 22, there was an incident where Ukraine’s Defense Forces carried out an attack on a nearby oil refinery during an operation, which led to a significant fire.

A source from RBC-Ukraine within the intelligence community earlier claimed that personnel from Ukraine's military intelligence conducted a drone attack on the Tuapse oil refinery.