Ukrainian drones have damaged a key Russian oil and gas terminal at Taman, near the Kerch Strait in the Black Sea, causing large fires and multiple casualties, according to Ukrainian military statements and Russian regional authorities.

The terminal was hit for the second time in less than a month.

Ukraine’s Defense Forces said the terminal was targeted because it is being used to supply fuel to Russian forces.

The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces confirmed that the strike caused explosions and a major fire at the site, adding that the extent of the damage is still being assessed.

The attack was acknowledged by Veniamin Kondratyev, Governor of Russia’s Krasnodar Krai, who said the area came under a “massive” drone attack on Wednesday, January 21, for the second day in a row. He said port terminals were among the targets.

Russian authorities reported that four oil storage tanks caught fire at the terminal. Kondratyev said 97 firefighters and 29 pieces of equipment were deployed to control the blaze.

He initially reported that two terminal employees were killed and several others injured.

Russia’s Interfax news agency later said three people had died and eight were injured. Interfax added that the fires were extinguished by Thursday, January 22.

Ukraine said it is still working to assess the damage to the terminal and the surrounding port area.

The Taman terminal is one of Russia’s major transshipment hubs in the Black Sea region.

Operated by Tamanneftegaz, it handles crude oil, petroleum products and liquefied hydrocarbon gases, including LPG.

Video Credits: Kanal13/YouTube

The operator states the terminal has a combined handling capacity of 19.9 million tonnes per year.

The port also handles rail-to-sea shipments of grain, coal, fertilisers and other cargoes.

The tank farm at the terminal is reported to have a total capacity exceeding one million cubic metres.

Ukraine’s General Staff later said the Tamanneftegaz terminal was among several Russian oil and military facilities hit during the overnight drone strikes on January 22.

Other reported targets included radar stations in Russian-occupied Crimea, a drone storage facility in occupied parts of Kherson Oblast, and military command, observation and logistics sites in occupied areas of Donetsk Oblast.

A source in Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) told Ukrainian media that drones operated by the SBU’s Alpha special operations unit carried out the strike on the Taman terminal.

The source said technological pipelines at the berths and several oil storage tanks were damaged, causing fuel leaks that later ignited.

The fire spread across about 7,000 square metres, with preliminary losses estimated at around $50 million.

Russian officials also confirmed that the terminal was attacked earlier between December 21 and 22.

During those strikes, authorities said two piers, a pipeline and two vessels at the port were damaged, with fires continuing into the following day.

Ukraine has increased drone attacks on Russian oil facilities and military targets inside Russia and in Russian-occupied territories throughout 2025 and into early 2026.

Ukrainian authorities have said the strikes aim to disrupt fuel supplies and logistics supporting Russian military operations and have largely relied on domestically developed drones.

Reference: kyivindependent