Ukraine Hits Russian Black-Sea Oil Terminal as Kyiv Faces Attack

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(Bloomberg) — Ukrainian drones attacked oil infrastructure at Russia’s giant Black Sea port of Novorossiysk overnight, as Moscow’s forces launched a massive air strike on Kyiv that killed three and damaged several residential buildings.

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Falling drone debris caused a fire at a Russian depot located at Transneft PJSC’s Sheskharis oil terminal, the regional emergency service said on Telegram early on Friday. The blaze was put out after more than 50 units of firefighting equipment were deployed at the site, authorities said, but provided no details on the damage. 

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Drones also hit an unidentified civilian ship in the port of Novorossiysk, they said, without specifying the type of the vessel. The city mayor reported damage to at least three residential buildings in separate statements on Telegram. Another container terminal in Novorossiysk was damaged by fallen debris, but continued to operate normally, Delo Group, which runs that facility, said in a statement on Telegram. 

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In Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv, three people were killed and at least 25 people injured during Russia’s drone and missile strike, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram Friday. Air defenses were working across the city, and multiple districts in the city reported falling debris and fires, he said. Several residential buildings were damaged, while a school and medical facilities also were hit. Strikes at a heat and utility network caused temporary outages, Klitschko added.

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The attacks come as Russia has been ramping up strikes on power facilities across Ukraine as it tries to disrupt the country’s energy system ahead of winter while also pushing to capture the eastern rail hub of Pokrovsk. The city’s fall would represent the most significant prize for the Kremlin since its military took Avdiivka in February last year. 

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Meanwhile, Ukraine has intensified strikes on Russian oil infrastructure — from refineries to crude pipelines and sea terminals — in recent months in an effort to curtail the energy revenue that helps Moscow finance its invasion, now well into its fourth year. The attacks have reduced Russian crude-processing volumes, exacerbated fuel shortages in several regions of the nation and increased risks for Russia’s seaborne oil-trade. 

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Ukraine last struck Russia’s Black Sea oil-loading infrastructure in late September. That attack forced the Sheskharis terminal and the Caspian Pipeline Consortium loading facilities to halt operations briefly as a precautionary measure.

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Transneft didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Western countries have been expanding sanctions against the Russian energy industry, also designed to cut Russia’s energy revenue. Last month, the US sanctioned Rosneft PJSC and Lukoil PJSC, the two largest Russian oil producers, creating additional challenges for the nation’s crude exports and its international trading network.

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