Editor’s note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
Ukraine’s military launched a drone attack on Russia’s Krasnodar Krai overnight on May 13, reportedly striking port infrastructure in the village of Volna, Russian Telegram media channels reported.
Videos posted to social media purport to show large plumes of smoke rising from a nearby port, various media channels reported.
In a separate post on Telegram, the Krasnodar Krai Operational Headquarters reported a fire involving equipment on the premises of an unspecified enterprise, further claiming that one person was injured in the Ukrainian drone attack.
Although the target of the attack was not immediately clear, Volna, located just east of Crimea’s Kerch Peninsula, is home to an oil terminal that has previously been the subject of Ukrainian strikes.
The Kyiv Independent cannot verify the reports nor claims made by Russian officials. Ukraine’s military has not yet commented on the reported attack.
No information was immediately available as to the extent of the damage caused.
In recent weeks, oil infrastructure in Krasnodar Krai has been repeatedly targeted by Ukrainian drone. The strikes are part of a broader campaign to disrupt Moscow’s oil and gas revenues, a key source of funding for the Russian war machine.
Between mid-April and early May, Tuapse, a town in Krasnodar Krai and home to one of the largest oil refineries and export terminals on the Black Sea coast, had been systematically targeted by Ukrainian long-range drones. Multi-day fires contributed to worsening air quality and significant environmental pollution, emerging as a stark symbol of the Kremlin’s limited control over its airspace ahead of Victory Day festivities.
The environmental fallout — including airborne petroleum byproducts and oil spills on city streets — has made the once attractive tourist destination unsafe for visitors, though Russian President Vladimir Putin has downplayed the threat to Tuapse.
According to data compiled by Bloomberg, Ukraine’s strikes on Russian oil infrastructure reached a four-month high in April, with at least 21 attacks on refineries, pipelines, and oil assets at sea recorded.