It has emerged that it was uncrewed surface vessels operated by Defence Intelligence of Ukraine that attacked Russian ports in Novorossiysk and Tuapse on 24 September.

Source: Ukrainska Pravda source in Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU)

Details: The operation has reportedly paralysed the oil handling facilities of Transneft, Russia’s national oil pipeline company, and the Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal near Novorossiysk.

The source said these facilities were being used by Russia to load oil onto its tankers, particularly those from the so-called shadow fleet, which Moscow has used to circumvent Western restrictions on its energy sector imposed since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Together, these Russian oil transshipment points can export up to two million barrels of crude per day.

DIU’s naval drones also blew up the oil-loading jetty at one of Russia’s largest terminals in the port of Tuapse.

Erratic and inaccurate fire by Russian forces caused damage to residential buildings, destroyed several cars and sparked panic among the population in Novorossiysk, Tuapse and Sochi – located several dozen kilometres from the attack site – where an emergency evacuation from beaches has been ordered.

Quote: “The fight against the shadow oil exports of the Russian aggressor state is continuing.”

Background:

Earlier, Russian authorities reported that drones had attacked the city of Novorossiysk in Krasnodar Krai, where a Russian Black Sea Fleet naval base is located.According to Bloomberg, Russian oil ports on the Black Sea have halted tanker loading.

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