Oil shipments to the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk have been halted after Ukrainian attacks damaged key energy infrastructure, Reuters reported on Friday, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter, in one of the deadliest nighttime attacks on the Krasnodar region in months.
Two sources cited by the news agency said Russia’s state-run pipeline monopoly, Transneft, had stopped oil flowing into Novorossiysk, and the port had also stopped receiving and loading oil in the wake of the attack.
Krasnodar region officials said the attack damaged facilities at the Sheshkhali oil transshipment facility and caused a fire that was later extinguished.
A regional state of emergency was declared in Novorossiysk, located on Russia’s southeastern Black Sea coast and an important gateway for oil exports from both Russia and Kazakhstan.
Global oil prices rose about 2% on concerns about supply disruptions.
Transneft has not publicly commented on reports of oil supply disruptions.
Krasnodar Krai Governor Venyamin Kondratyev said a civilian ship in the port was also struck by falling objects, injuring three crew members.
Novorossiysk Mayor Andrei Kravchenko reported damage to coastal facilities, several residential buildings and houses, and one man was injured. He said temporary evacuation centers had been set up for affected residents.
Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that its air defense systems shot down or intercepted 216 Ukrainian drones, 66 of them over the Krasnodar region and 59 over the Black Sea.
Further north, in the city of Saratov, residents claimed Ukrainian drones had attacked the Rosneft-owned Saratov refinery. The Saratov refinery has a production capacity of approximately 140,000 barrels per day and produces gasoline, diesel, and other fuels.
Saratov region governor Roman Busargin said unspecified “civilian infrastructure” had been damaged.
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that Russian air defense forces shot down 45 Ukrainian drones over the Saratov region.
Flights were temporarily restricted at 11 airports across Russia, including in the Krasnodar region and Saratov, following nighttime air attacks.
Ukrainian authorities have not yet commented on the attack.
MNA/