A nighttime drone attack on the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, Russia, caused a fire at an oil terminal Monday, according to satellite imagery analysis.
Strike on Russian Infrastructure
A fire broke out at an oil terminal in Novorossiysk, a strategic Russian port on the Black Sea, following a drone attack Monday night.
Satellite images analyzed by Bloomberg and NASA’s FIRMS system confirm the fire at the Sheskharis oil terminal, which belongs to Russian state-owned company Transneft.
Damage Assessment
Krasnodar Krai Governor Veniamin Kondratiev reported that eight buildings were damaged in the drone attack. Debris from the drones was found at several industrial sites, though details were not provided.
Novorossiysk: A Key Export Hub
Novorossiysk is Russia’s largest port on the Black Sea and a crucial facility for exporting raw materials and bulk goods. In March, Ukrainian drone attacks previously halted oil loading there.
Ukraine Targets Russian Oil Exports
Ukraine is aiming to limit Russia’s ability to export oil and profit from rising global prices, fueled by the conflict in the Middle East. Ukrainian drones damaged oil facilities in Russia’s Baltic ports of Primorsk and Ust-Luga in March.
Impact on Russian Oil Exports
Bloomberg reports that repeated drone attacks on Russian oil ports led to a drop in Russian seaborne oil exports to a two-month low in March, coinciding with a global supply crisis triggered by the Middle East conflict.
Transneft did not respond to Bloomberg’s request for comment.
