Ukrainian forces struck the Rosneft-operated Tuapse oil refinery for the second time in four days overnight on April 19 to 20, killing one person and igniting a fire at the tank farm, Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed.
Result of UA🇺🇦 counter attack
Oil refinery Tuapse destroyed. No resistance. Air defence almost depleted. pic.twitter.com/LjZPLFP1aj
— Cyrus (@Cyrusontherun) April 20, 2026
The second strike came hours after Russian crews extinguished the April 16 blaze, which burned for three days and required more than 150 firefighters and nearly 50 pieces of equipment to contain.
Russia shifted oil flows to Tuapse after Novorossiysk came under pressure.
Now Tuapse is on fire too.
ㅤ
Overnight, Ukraine struck the Tuapse refinery and nearby oil terminal. Tanks with petroleum products are burning, the fire footprint is large, and local authorities cancelled… pic.twitter.com/4lon7FaMkE— Meanwhile in Ukraine (@MeanwhileInUA) April 16, 2026
The two attacks targeted the hub Russia had recently activated as a backup. Reuters reported on April 13 that Rosneft had diverted crude oil from Novorossiysk to Tuapse after Ukrainian drones damaged the Sheskharis terminal there, disabling two berths and forcing a halt to exports.
“One man was killed. Another was injured and is receiving medical assistance,” Krasnodar Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said on Telegram. Falling debris also damaged a gas pipeline and shattered windows at a school, a kindergarten, a church, a museum, and an apartment building.
Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) commander Robert Brovdi confirmed the attack as a joint operation by the USF, Special Operations Forces, and Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR). Russia’s Defense Ministry said 112 Ukrainian drones were destroyed overnight.
In a parallel operation, HUR’s “Primari” special unit struck and disabled two Black Sea Fleet landing ships in Sevastopol Bay, the Yamal (Project 775) and the Nikolay Filchenkov (Project 1171), and destroyed a Russian radar station.
Ukrainian military intelligence hit two Russian landing ships in Sevastopol Bay. The Yamal and Nikolay Filchenkov were both struck. – GUR pic.twitter.com/w37BxeKqWc
— Polymarket Intel (@PolymarketIntel) April 20, 2026
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 19 that strikes on Russian oil infrastructure cost Moscow at least $2.3 billion in lost oil revenue in March alone, when attacks reportedly disabled approximately 40% of Russia’s oil export capacity.
We are preparing important announcements regarding our security cooperation with partners next week. We do not forget that air defense for Ukraine and support for our army remain constant priorities.
More security arrangements are forthcoming. We already have an arrangement on… pic.twitter.com/JDy2j037wc
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 19, 2026
We have repeatedly offered Russia a ceasefire at least for Easter. But for them, all times are alike and nothing is sacred. If Russia can afford this war, it will not choose peace willingly. Only significant financial losses force Russia to consider a scenario of abandoning this… pic.twitter.com/Os7P9EZZuC
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 6, 2026
“If Russia is ready to stop strikes on our energy infrastructure, we will be ready to respond in kind,” Zelensky posted on April 6. Russia has not responded.
