Ukraine intensified its attacks on Russian energy infrastructure and launched a new offensive with drones during the early hours that targeted oil terminals, refineries, and gas processing plants in various regions of Russia, as confirmed by the Ukrainian General Staff on Wednesday. The operation is part of Kiev's strategy to hit the Kremlin's energy revenue sources and weaken Moscow's ability to sustain the war.
Among the main targets attacked were the Tamanneftegaz oil terminal, located in the Krasnodar region on the Black Sea coast; an oil refinery in Yaroslavl, northeast of Moscow; and a gas processing plant in Astrakhan, near the Caspian Sea. Ukrainian authorities stated that the attacks caused fires and damage to key facilities for the export and refining of Russian hydrocarbons.
The commander of Ukraine's drone forces, Robert Brovdi, confirmed the attacks via Telegram and noted that the operations were carried out during the night of May 13. Hours later, images and videos began circulating on Russian social media showing dense columns of smoke rising over some of the targeted facilities.
The FIRMS fire monitoring system, managed by NASA, detected active fire hotspots near the port of Taman, which seemed to support Ukrainian reports about the impact on the Tamanneftegaz terminal. This infrastructure is considered one of the most important in southern Russia and is used to transfer crude oil, diesel, fuel oil, and liquefied gas from pipelines to ships destined for international exports.
According to the Ukrainian General Staff, the terminal plays a strategic role in Russian energy trade and represents a key source of revenue to finance the war. Since the start of the large-scale Russian invasion in 2022, Ukraine has gradually increased long-range attacks on energy facilities within Russian territory, aiming to disrupt military logistics and reduce Moscow's financial capacity.
Another target hit was the Yaroslavl refinery, which produces gasoline, diesel, and aviation fuel. Ukrainian authorities claimed that the primary refining units were impacted during the attack. Kiev maintains that the plant serves an important logistical supply function for the Russian army.
