Video: Ukrainian Drone Attack Causes Major Fire At Tuapse Port, One Killed

A Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s Black Sea oil hub at Tuapse Port has killed at least one person and caused fresh fires, according to Russian officials.

The strike took place overnight on April 20, just hours after a previous fire at the same site had been put out following an earlier attack on April 16.

Officials in Russia’s Krasnodar region said the port and refinery area came under another large drone assault.

Governor Venyamin Kondratyev confirmed the attack, adding that emergency crews were working at multiple locations across the port.

Local authorities reported that the latest strike damaged parts of the export terminal as well as nearby infrastructure, including a gas pipeline, a church and two schools. Some residential areas were also affected during the earlier attack.

Ukraine’s military confirmed it had targeted the refinery again. The facility is operated by Rosneft and can process about 240,000 barrels of crude oil per day.

It produces fuel oil and diesel and is an important part of Russia’s oil export network through the Black Sea.

This is the second strike on the same site in less than a week. Fires from the previous attack had only just been extinguished before the new wave of drones hit.

Reports also indicated a large oil spill into nearby coastal waters following the latest incident.

Rosneft’s Tuapse Oil Depot and Export Facility in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, is currently ablaze, with dozens of tanks seen burning as thick black smoke pours into the sky, following a large-scale drone attack tonight by Ukraine against oil infrastructure across Southern Russia. pic.twitter.com/ZmtlLljYiI

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) April 20, 2026

Russia’s Defence Ministry said 112 Ukrainian drones were destroyed over the country overnight on April 20.

Despite that, several drones reached their targets in the Tuapse area, leading to the fires and damage.

Ukraine has increased its attacks on Russian oil facilities in recent weeks, focusing on refineries and export terminals.

These strikes have affected oil shipments and reduced Russia’s ability to benefit from higher global energy prices, which have been influenced by tensions in the Middle East, including disruption around the Strait of Hormuz.

Earlier this month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine had proposed stopping strikes on energy infrastructure if Russia agreed to do the same. There has been no agreement so far.

In a separate operation on April 20, Ukrainian forces said they struck two Russian landing ships in Sevastopol Bay in Crimea and destroyed a radar system.

At the same time, Russian attacks on Ukraine have continued. Ukrainian officials said Russia launched 142 drones overnight, with reports of civilian injuries in regions including Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk.

References: Reuters, Rferl