Smoke rises above the Tuapse oil refinery in southwest Russia after Ukrainian drone strikes, April 16, 2026

Thursday’s Coverage: Kyiv Hits Key Russian Oil Facility for 2nd Day in Row

Escalating its attacks on key Russian facilities, Ukraine has struck the Tuapse oil refinery — one of Russia’s 10 largest — for the fourth time in two weeks.

The Ukrainians hit the refinery in Krasnodar Krai in southwest Russia early Friday. Russian outlets reported that at least two storage tanks were ignited, and the terminal lost power. Electricity and the Internet has also been cut to much of the nearby city.

Krasnodar Krai emergency response headquarters said 128 personnel and 41 pieces of equipment are working to extinguish fires. No injuries are reported.

Ukraine attacked the complex, owned by Russia’s State energy firm Rosneft, on April 16. A second assault on April 20 set fires in fuel storage tanks which burned for four days. The third set of strikes on April 28 relit the blazes, with a state of emergency declared in Krasnodar’s municipal district.

Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry claimed on Wednesday that that emergency services had extinguished the fires. But videos and photos early Monday confirmed the latest attacks on the refinery and marine terminal.

Amid the escalating attacks on refineries, terminals, and ports, Russia’s Government revenues from oil fell 47% in January and February. They recovered in March because of the US-Israel War on Iran, with soaring oil prices and waivers of American sanctions. However, they fell again in April as operations were suspended at some facilities, including the Ust-Luga and Primorsk ports on the Baltic Sea and the Novorossiysk port on the Black Sea.

Ukrainian drones also struck a Russian drone development complex, damaging workshops, in the occupied Zaporizhzhia region in southern Ukraine on Thursday.

The BARS-Sarmat Center, established in 2024, is central to the development of Russian drones, robotic and electronic warefare systems, and command and communications equipment.