A Ukrainian drone strike hit port infrastructure in the Russian port of Temryuk overnight, sparking a fire at a key export hub for liquefied hydrocarbon gas. Authorities reported no casualties, with staff evacuated from the facility.
Port infrastructure hit, firefighters deployed
According to the Operational Headquarters of the Krasnodar Territory, elements of the port infrastructure were damaged during what it described as an attack by “UAVs of the Kyiv regime.” Officials said the strike triggered a fire but reported no casualties, noting that staff had been evacuated as a precaution.
The channel added that 32 specialists and eight firefighting equipment pieces were deployed to extinguish the blaze, with emergency services working on site.
A Video published by eyewitnesses and reviewed by independent media outlet Astra appeared to show a gas terminal burning within the port area.
Strategic LPG export hub
Temryuk port, located on the Temryuk Bay of the Sea of Azov, is operated by the Mechel group. The port’s website states that its main activities include transshipment of general, bulk and grain cargo, as well as storage and production facility rentals.
Temryuk serves as southern Russia’s primary export point for liquefied hydrocarbon gas (LPG), with oil shipments also routed abroad from the terminal.
Russia reports drone interceptions across multiple regions
Russia’s Ministry of Defense noted overnight air-defense systems “intercepted and destroyed” 41 Ukrainian aircraft-type drones across several regions. The ministry listed:
- 9 over Samara
- 8 over Saratov
- 7 over Volgograd and Rostov
- 1 over Krasnodar Territory
- 9 over occupied Crimea
The ministry did not clarify whether the Temryuk strike was among the drones that evaded interception.
Ukraine targets oil ports to undermine Russia’s war capacity
The strike comes after Ukraine hit Russia’s Black Sea energy infrastructure multiple times in November, when drones targeted Novorossiysk (Krasnodar Territory) — Russia’s largest port on the Black Sea — twice within ten days. A major attack on Nov. 14 damaged the Sheskharis oil-loading terminal and forced the port to halt oil intake and exports, while a second strike on Nov. 24 again hit air-defense systems and a large Russian landing ship.
Tuapse, another major Krasnodar Black Sea oil export terminal, has also been hit repeatedly. On Nov. 2, drones struck oil facilities at the port, damaging terminal infrastructure and an oil tanker and forcing the nearby Rosneft refinery to suspend operations.
A week later on Nov. 10, sea-launched drones again targeted the area, with security footage showing a blast rising dozens of meters into the air amid reports of further strikes on oil infrastructure.
Ukraine has intensified drone strikes on refineries, storage sites and export terminals, framing the campaign as part of a broader strategy to weaken Russia’s war economy. Kyiv says the goal is to disrupt fuel supply chains for Russian forces and cut state revenues generated from oil exports.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that such operations will continue as long as Moscow wages war.