Russian forces destroyed four Ukrainian unmanned surface vessels near the Black Sea port of Tuapse early on Monday, local defence authorities reported. This incident is the latest in a series of Ukrainian attacks on one of Russia’s key oil export terminals.

According to the local task force, one of the drone boats detonated close to the coast, causing shockwaves that damaged the windows on the second floor of a nearby two-storey building, along with a garage and a boathouse. Officials confirmed that no casualties occurred in the incident.

Tuapse, located in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai, is a key outlet for fuel exports and has the capacity to handle around 17 million metric tonnes of oil products per year.

Industry sources and ship-tracking data indicated that fuel exports from the port were suspended, and operations at the local refinery were halted following earlier Ukrainian drone attacks on November 1-2.

A statement from the Krasnodar regional defence command, released several hours after the latest strike, said that shore defences had successfully intercepted the four unmanned boats. The statement added that there was no major damage to infrastructure.

However, videos posted on local social media showed explosions and fires within the port area shortly after 1 a.m. on Monday.

Independent geolocators later identified one of the explosions near wharf 167, a section of Tuapse harbour typically used for loading smaller crude oil tankers. Some social media reports also claimed that a tanker was moored at an oil-loading pier at the time of the attack.

Ukrainian Armed Forces launched both amphibious and airborne kamikaze drone strikes overnight Sunday into Monday, targeting sites in south-west Russia, including the Tuapse oil terminal.

This incident follows previous attacks on Tuapse on September 24 and November 1-2. The November raids damaged two tankers, caused an oil spill, disrupted fuel exports, and forced several vessels to leave the area.

In response to the renewed attack, Russian Railways announced an extension of restrictions on cargo deliveries towards Tuapse until 13 November.

Reference: Reuters