Oil Tanker Catches Fire In Latest Ukrainian Long-Range Drone Strike On Russian Port

Ukrainian drones struck an oil tanker at the Russian port of Taganrog and hit several oil and fuel facilities across Russia overnight, according to Russian and Ukrainian officials.

The attacks damaged energy infrastructure in the Rostov, Krasnodar, Saratov and Kirov regions as Ukraine continued its long-range drone campaign against Russian oil facilities.

Yury Slyusar, governor of Russia’s Rostov region, said a fire broke out on an oil tanker and in the port area of Taganrog following the attack. He said firefighters later extinguished the blaze and no fuel oil leak was reported.

Slyusar said nearly 50 drones were intercepted over the Rostov region during the night.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said its air defences destroyed 127 drones in one overnight attack and 216 drones during another wave of strikes.

Two people were injured in the Rostov region, according to Slyusar. Taganrog mayor Svetlana Kambulova said a local state of emergency introduced on May 27 had been extended.

Taganrog, a city of about 240,000 people near the Sea of Azov, is located close to Russian-occupied Mariupol and serves as an industrial and logistics hub in southern Russia.

In neighbouring Krasnodar region, authorities said a drone strike caused a fire at an oil depot in Armavir’s industrial zone. Emergency services later brought the fire under control and officials reported no injuries.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the strike on the Armavir oil facility, which he said is located about 500 km from Ukraine’s border.

“We are rightfully bringing the war back to where it came from. Russia could have ended its aggression long ago, but instead chose to prolong and continue it,” Zelensky wrote on X.

Ukraine’s military also said it struck the Saratov oil refinery on the Volga River, causing a large fire. Saratov governor Roman Busargin said civilian infrastructure was damaged but provided no further details.

Ukraine further claimed it hit the Lazarevo pumping station in Russia’s Kirov region, around 1,300 km from Ukraine.

According to Kyiv, the facility is part of the Surgut-Gorky-Polotsk pipeline system that transports Russian oil from Siberia to Belarus.

Kirov governor Alexander Sokolov confirmed drones struck a facility in the region but did not identify the site.

In the Rostov region, authorities in Matveyev Kurgan reported a major fire after drones struck a fuel depot. Ukraine later confirmed the attack.

Governors in Russia’s Belgorod and Voronezh regions also reported damage from Ukrainian strikes. Three civilians were injured in Belgorod, according to local authorities.

On the Russian-controlled Crimean Peninsula, governor Sergei Aksyonov announced restrictions on petrol sales but did not provide a reason.

Ukraine has repeatedly targeted fuel infrastructure in southern Russia and areas linked to Crimea in recent months.

Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched 229 drones overnight, adding that 212 were intercepted.

Separately, Russia accused Ukraine of striking a garage at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Ukraine denied the allegation, as it had done following a similar accusation made a day earlier.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which has inspectors at the plant, said its team observed drone-related damage to a turbine building on May 30 but did not say who was responsible. The agency added that radiation levels at the facility remained normal.

References: Reuters, TOI