Third Ukrainian strike hits Russian oil refinery and prompts evacuations

Residents near a burning refinery in Tuapse are told to leave, as efforts continue to contain an oil spill caused by earlier strikes. Third Ukraine strike on Tuapse hits Russian oil refinery and prompts evacuations Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Smoke rises following a Ukrainian drone attack on an oil refinery in Tuapse, southern Russia Smoke and flames rise following a Ukrainian drone attack on an oil refinery in Tuapse, southern Russia. Photo: 28 April 2026 Third Ukrainian strike hits Russian oil refinery and prompts evacuations A major Russian oil refinery on the Black Sea has been hit for the third time this month by Ukrainian drones, causing a "massive fire" and forcing the evacuation of people living nearby, local officials have said. Earlier strikes in the past two weeks at the Tuapse refinery caused a big oil spill in the sea and residents reported "black" rain falling on the city and leaving an oily residue everywhere. Ukraine's military confirmed the latest drone strike, saying such refineries helped fund Russia's full-scale invasion launched in 2022. More than 160 firefighters were deployed to extinguish the blaze, Krasnodar regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev said on Tuesday. No casualties were reported. In a post on Telegram on Tuesday morning, Kondratiev said firefighters and other rescuers were working in "extremely difficult conditions", and he described their efforts as "true heroism". "Our top priority is preserving the lives and health of city residents and visitors," he added. The head of the local municipal district, Sergei Boyko, asked residents of nearby streets to leave and reports said a temporary evacuation centre had been set up in a local school. Satellite images earlier this month revealed the scale of the Ukrainian strikes A satellite image shows the oil spill at the Black Sea in Tuapse, Krasnodar Region, Russia, April 17 Meanwhile, the regional crisis centre warned that "due to the severe fire, combustion products are being released into the atmosphere". Residents were urged to wear masks and rinse their nose, eyes and throat, as well as keep windows closed and limit time outdoors. Anastasia Troyanova, a local correspondent for environmental news outlet Kedr, described "a huge cloud of black smoke over the town; it smells of burning". In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the country's emergencies minister to fly to Tuapse urgently to oversee firefighting and cleanup efforts. Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Ukraine had struck oil storage facilities intended for export operations, accusing Kyiv of destabilising global energy markets. In a statement, Ukraine's military confirmed it had again hit the Tuapse refinery, as part of concerted efforts to "reduce the military-economic potential of the Russian aggressor". In recent months, Ukraine's military has intensified its strikes on key energy facilities across Russia. Kyiv says they are legitimate targets, as they allow Russia to continue its war effort. In a separate development, one person was injured in a Russian drone attack on Kyiv, the capital's Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said. Ukrainian officials also reported several fires, including one at a cemetery. Unmanned Systems Forces commander Robert Brovdi, wearing a cap and with a long beard, is pictured speaking to the BBC Ukraine's drone commander has Russian oil, troops and morale in his sights Rescue workers searching the ruins of a collapsed building in Ukraine Seven dead in major Russian attack on Ukraine Hakima Boukerouis is the fifth woman to be identified through an international police campaign. The state prosecutor told the court that police found an almost completed bomb in a search of the man's house. The BBC's Jessica Parker visits Pripyat, which was abandoned in 1986 after an explosion at the nearby Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Israel's foreign minister says it has received no evidence to support the claim that a vessel carrying grain from occupied Ukraine has reached Haifa. The 141m-long vessel, linked to a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, cleared the waterway despite an ongoing blockade. Ethnic Tuareg fighters say they are in control of Kidal following a weekend of nationwide attacks, alongside Islamist groups. In a rare interview, Commander Robert Brovdi shared how his unit accounts for a third of all targets destroyed on the battlefield. Kim Jong Un and Russian Defence Minister Andrey Belousov unveiled the memorial in Pyongyang.