Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) confirmed on Tuesday that its drones struck a liquefied gas terminal in Russia’s port of Temryuk on Dec. 5, causing a massive fire that burned for three days.
Temryuk port, located on the Temryuk Bay of the Sea of Azov and operated by the Mechel group, is a key export hub for liquefied hydrocarbon gas (LPG) in southern Russia. The port also handles oil shipments, as well as general, bulk and grain cargo.
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The operation was carried out by the “Alpha” unit and targeted the facilities of Maktren-Nafta, a company that handles liquefied gas shipments, sources in Ukraine’s special services told the Kyiv Post.
The strike ignited a large fire in the terminal’s tank area, burning more than 20 of its 30 storage tanks, each holding 200 cubic meters of fuel.
The drones also destroyed several railway tank cars, an intermediate fuel container and a loading platform. The fire covered about 3,000 square meters.
Maktren-Nafta transfers liquefied gas from railcars and tank containers onto specialized gas carrier ships. The terminal, built in 2008, can handle up to 400,000 tons of liquefied gas per year.
The SBU source said Ukraine will continue targeting Russia’s oil and gas infrastructure, arguing that revenue from the sector helps fund the war. “Explosions inside Russia, at facilities that support the war, will continue,” the source said.
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Port Fire Reported Shortly After Dec. 5 Strike
Russian officials acknowledged a fire at the port soon after the Dec. 5 attack, but did not specify the cause. The Operational Headquarters of the Krasnodar region said elements of the port infrastructure were damaged during what it described as an attack by “UAVs of the Kyiv regime.”
Authorities reported no casualties, saying staff had been evacuated as a precaution.
Emergency services deployed 32 specialists and eight firefighting units to contain the blaze, officials said. Videos posted by eyewitnesses and reviewed by the independent outlet Astra appeared to show a gas terminal burning inside the port area.
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.
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