Satellite images have appeared showing the consequences of a drone attack on the Novorossiysk sea trade port that occurred on the night of May 17.
The image was shown by the Russian service "Radio Liberty".
The photos taken on May 18 show traces of a fire on the territory of the Novorossiysk Sea Trade Port, where a fire broke out as a result of a drone strike on the night of May 17.
In the images, you can see damage to at least one tank on the territory of JSC IPP, which is engaged in transshipment of petroleum products, liquid mineral fertilizers and vegetable oils.
On the night of May 17, the city of Novorossiysk in the Krasnodar Territory was attacked by unknown drones. Locals reported that drones attacked the port and the oil depot. The governor of the Krasnodar region, Veniamin Kondratiev, announced the "unsuccessful Ukrainian attack", saying that Russian air defense shot down more than 10 unmanned aerial vehicles, and the fires were caused by falling debris.
At the same time, as a result of an attack on the night of May 17 in the Russian city of Tuapse, a fire broke out at an oil refinery — this is one of the largest Rosneft oil refineries in Russia. It was already attacked by drones on January 25, and it resumed work only at the beginning of May.
Attacks on Russian refineries
This spring, Ukraine began to actively attack Russian refineries. In March, an oil refinery in the Russian city of Ryazan caught fire after a drone attack, drones attacked a refinery in the Nizhny Novgorod region and an oil depot in Oryol, an oil refinery in the Krasnodar region. Meanwhile, the Lukoil refinery in the Nizhny Novgorod region lost part of its capacity due to the attack, and the refinery in Sloviansk-on-Kuban partially stopped work.
At the end of March , a sharp decrease in gasoline production was recorded in Russia — by 7.4%, to 754.6 thousand tons. Politico wrote that drone attacks on Russian oil refineries led to the fact that one of the worldʼs largest oil powers ran out of gasoline.
On April 10, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin advised Ukraine not to attack Russian refineries, but to "focus on military objectives." The Washington Post wrote that Ukraineʼs attacks on Russian refineries deepen tensions in relations with the United States. While the States dissuade Kyiv from attacks on oil refineries of the Russian Federation due to fears of rising world prices, Ukraine considers them necessary to increase the cost of aggression for the Russian Federation.