Moscow

A fire has broken out in the oil terminal at the Russian Black Sea port of Port Kavkaz following a night-time Ukrainian drone attack, the local governor said on Friday morning. Three cisterns with oil products were damaged and are on fire, the Governor of the Krasnodar region, Veniamin Kondratyev, announced on his Telegram channel on Friday. Two employees of the oil terminal were slightly injured, he added.

The flames could also be seen on the nearby Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014 in violation of international law. The firefighting work lasted until the early hours of the morning, Kondratyev said. The Russian Ministry of Defence only reported the launch of five Neptune anti-ship missiles and 29 drones over the Krasnodar region, which thwarted attempts at terrorist attacks, it said.

Port Kavkas is Russia’s fourth largest harbour in the Black and Azov Seas in terms of cargo handling. The harbour on the Chushka peninsula long served as the ferry connection between the Russian mainland and Crimea. The ferry service was largely discontinued following the construction of the Crimean Bridge. However, the harbour, which is well connected to the rail and road network, is still an important supply artery for Crimea, and also for the military supplies of the Russian troops in their war against Ukraine.

Ukraine has been increasingly attacking oil refineries and transport infrastructure in Russia for months, purely for military objects, intending to make warfare economically and logistically more difficult for Moscow.