Ukraine has been making an effort to impact Russia's ability to profit from oil sales even as oil prices have spiked thanks to the war with Iran. One of its targets has been the oil refinery in the Russian town of Tuapse which is located on the Black Sea. The refinery was first hit by Ukrainian drones last week.
🚨 Drones attack oil facility in Russia’s Tuapse
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) April 16, 2026
According to reports, at least two oil storage tanks at the Tuapse refinery caught fire. Footage circulating online shows massive flames still burning into the morning.
Local authorities have confirmed the drone attack. Debris is… pic.twitter.com/vpUagCEhw8
That started a fire which firefighters struggled to put out.
Firefighters continued extinguishing a blaze at Russia's Black Sea port of Tuapse on Friday, more than 24 hours after Ukrainian drone attacks, local authorities said. They said 177 servicemen have been engaged in efforts to put out the fire.
There were some reports that the fire was finally put out over the weekend.
🔥 Statement from the Krasnodar Krai Emergency Response Team.
— MAKS 25 🇺🇦👀 (@Maks_NAFO_FELLA) April 19, 2026
"A fire at the Tuapse sea terminal has been extinguished. Over 150 people and 49 pieces of equipment were involved in the firefighting effort." pic.twitter.com/MkVLez0RRi
Then on Monday, Ukrainian drones hit the same site again.
Les sanctions contre la Russie 🇷🇺 ne fonctionnant pas, l'armée ukrainienne 🇺🇦 les mets en application de la manière forte, décarbonnant de force l'économie russe.
— Clément Molin (@clement_molin) April 20, 2026
La raffinerie de Tuapse sur la Mer Noire est presque entièrement en flammes après une nouvelle nuit de frappes alors… pic.twitter.com/ibV9RX0hCL
The second strike seemed to have the whole facility in flames, creating a massive column of black smoke.
The latest video coming from the refinery in Tuapse, Krasnodar region, in Russia shows that basically the entire facility is burning.
— (((Tendar))) (@Tendar) April 21, 2026
I’m saying that this facility is a total loss. pic.twitter.com/irrA0Y21LI
The town began to be covered in "black rain" which is not just oil but is filled with other dangerous chemicals. Russian officials finally admitted the air was dangerous toxic Wednesday night after the fire had been burning for several days.
On Monday, another Ukrainian drone hit the refinery, starting a fire that began releasing huge amounts of smoke into the air. Residents of Tuapse soon began documenting a phenomenon called black rain, recently seen after strikes on Iranian fuel depots, in which drops of dark, oily toxins fall from the sky.
But not until late Wednesday night did Russian officials acknowledge the danger. A local emergency task force said in a statement that on Tuesday night, air quality monitoring across Tuapse had shown levels of benzol, xylene and soot that were two to three times the maximum amount to which people can safely be exposed. As of Thursday, the fire at the refinery was still burning.
The task force, which recommended that people in some parts of Tuapse stay home, did not explain why the warning had not been issued sooner. “The situation will get back to normal as soon as the fire is extinguished,” it said, adding that nearly 300 firefighters were trying to put out the blaze...
Officials have not closed schools or public offices in Tuapse. The task force said local hospitals had received no patients with symptoms consistent with exposure to toxins. As of Thursday, senior Russian officials had said nothing about the fire, which appears to be the worst environmental disaster for Russia from the war in Ukraine since the 2022 invasion.
Some video showing the black spots which appear on everything in the area.
“Oil rain” has covered residents in Tuapse
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) April 22, 2026
As the situation in Tuapse resembles a full-scale environmental disaster, Russian authorities say there is no reason for concern.
Officials claim the situation is under control, pollution levels do not exceed нормы, and there are no… pic.twitter.com/PxXdRtvd15
This disaster has led to some upset Russian women in Tuapse who can't understand why bad things are happening to them.
"I desperately wanted to live by the sea with my child. Now the sea is full of heating oil," sobs a resident of Tuapse after yet another attack on the port and refinery.
— Jürgen Nauditt 🇩🇪🇺🇦 (@jurgen_nauditt) April 20, 2026
"What are we supposed to do here? These damn drones are flying around, blowing everything up. You don't know… pic.twitter.com/IXzU8TAksj
There are more like this. One woman driving to the gym wonders why she should bother worrying about her "toned ass" when black rain is falling from the sky.
With the entire city slowly being covered in burned oil residue, residents of Russia's shit-bucket town of Tuapse cry "Why? Why is this happening" as they try to wash the oil from their skin, cars and homes.
— Jay in Kyiv (@JayinKyiv) April 20, 2026
While driving to the gym, one woman has even lost the will to live,… pic.twitter.com/Y0wS6b6X4x
This woman asks Ukrainians "why are you doing this to us?"
This video is framed as “about humanity,” but it quickly turns into something else.
— Shaun Pinner (@ShaunPinnerUA) April 22, 2026
A woman in Tuapse says she can’t breathe after the oil terminal fires. She claims Ukrainians are commenting “you had it coming,” and insists ordinary Russians are just pawns caught in the middle.… pic.twitter.com/DBZKu3qDhI
In any case, this is a major, ongoing disaster. Smoke isn't just limited to this one town. It's blowing inland for hundreds of kilometers.
This is freaking insane to grasp: the smoke plume from the burning Tuapse oil refinery storage facility, after two consecutive Ukrainian strikes, is now more than 300 km long and can be seen from Stavropol. Image by NASA Worldview taken today, April 21. pic.twitter.com/JXZKoAoH9y
— Mark Krutov (@kromark) April 21, 2026
And despite this, the local authorities are behaving like the Mayor of Amity from Jaws.
Some pro-Kremlin politicians seem to be mindful that the reports could hurt the public image of Tuapse, which is famous for its beaches.
“Right now, there is nothing threatening the tourist season,” Fyodor Gerashchenko, who leads the local chapter of the pro-Kremlin People’s Front movement, told a local television channel on Wednesday.
Russia is going to keep downplaying this until it swims up and bites them on the ass.
Editor's Note: Do you enjoy HotAir's conservative reporting that takes on the radical Left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.
Join HotAir VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member