Large fire reported at oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar Krai following Ukrainian strike
Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
A large fire covering over 1,000 square meters engulfed the Tuapse oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar Krai overnight on March 14, regional Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said on Telegram.
Several explosions were heard by residents in the region around 5 a.m. local time. Videos posted on social media show a large fire burning in the location of the depot.
Kondratyev later claimed on social media that the explosions were a results of an attack carried out by Kyiv.
A gasoline storage tank is currently ablaze as over 100 emergency personnel are working to extinguish the blaze, Kondratyev added.
The Kyiv Independent cannot verify claims made by the Russian official. Ukraine's military has not yet commented on the attack.
0:00
/
1×
No information was immediately available as to the extent of the damage caused or whether there are any casualties.
Ukraine has previously targeted the Tuapse oil refinery on numerous occasions, including in a strike as recently as Feb. 26.
The Tuapse oil refinery, with an annual processing capacity of 12 million tons, is significant in supplying fuel to the Russian military.
Kyiv has intensified strikes on Russian fossil fuel infrastructure, aiming to disrupt revenue sources funding Moscow's war effort.
Ukraine regularly conducts deep strikes on military and industrial targets in Russia, predominantly using domestically developed drones.
Read also: Ukraine war latest: Russia needs war, Zelensky says in response to Putin's preconditions for ceasefireWe've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNBC
29 minutes ago
- CNBC
Crypto CEO accused of laundering $500 million linked to sanctioned Russian banks
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn have charged the founder of a U.S.-based cryptocurrency payments firm with operating what they allege was a sophisticated international money laundering scheme that moved over half a billion dollars on behalf of sanctioned Russian banks and other entities. Iurii Gugnin, a 38-year-old Russian national living in Manhattan, was arrested and arraigned Monday and ordered held without bail pending trial. Gugnin faces a 22-count indictment accusing him of wire and bank fraud, violating U.S. sanctions and export controls, money laundering, and failing to implement legally required anti-money laundering protocols. "The defendant is charged with turning a cryptocurrency company into a covert pipeline for dirty money, moving over half a billion dollars through the U.S. financial system to aid sanctioned Russian banks and help Russian end-users acquire sensitive U.S. technology," Assistant Attorney General Eisenberg said in a statement. Prosecutors said Gugnin used his companies — Evita Investments and Evita Pay — to process about $530 million in payments while concealing the origins and purposes of the funds. Between June 2023 and January 2025, he allegedly funneled the money through U.S. banks and cryptocurrency exchanges, primarily using tether, a widely used, dollar-pegged stablecoin. Clients included individuals and businesses linked to sanctioned Russian institutions such as Sberbank, VTB Bank, Sovcombank, Tinkoff, and the state-owned nuclear energy firm Rosatom. To carry out the scheme, Gugnin allegedly misrepresented the scope of his business, falsified compliance documentation, and lied to banks and digital asset platforms about his ties to Russia. Prosecutors say he masked the source of funds through shell accounts and doctored more than 80 invoices, digitally erasing the identities of Russian counterparties. Investigators also cite internet searches indicating he knew he was under scrutiny, including queries like "how to know if there is an investigation against you" and "money laundering penalties US." The Justice Department said Gugnin maintained direct ties to members of Russia's intelligence service and officials in Iran — countries that do not extradite to the U.S. He is also accused of helping the export of sensitive U.S. technology to Russian clients, including an anti-terrorism-controlled server. Gugnin was profiled last fall in a Wall Street Journal article about high-net-worth renters in Manhattan, where he reportedly paid $19,000 per month for an apartment. If convicted on bank fraud charges, he faces a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, but if convicted on all counts, Gugnin could be given a consecutive maximum sentence significantly longer than his lifetime.
Yahoo
38 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Zelenskyy: US moved '20,000 missiles' to fight drones from Ukraine to the Middle East
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told ABC News' Martha Raddatz that his defense minister told him Friday the U.S. had transferred anti-drone weapons which defended against Russian attacks. Zelenskyy said the U.S. would divert "20,000 missiles" from Ukraine's arsenal to the Middle East, where it appears the U.S. would use them for its own force protection. 'Without the help of the United States, we will have more losses,' Zelenskyy told Raddatz in Kyiv last week. The move comes as Russia ramps up its drone attacks and after Ukraine struck deep inside Russia with its own drones last week, shocking Russia in a clandestine operation. Overnight Sunday, Russia launched 479 drones and 20 missiles into Ukraine in an attack the Ukrainian Air Force called an 'absolute record' for a Russian aerial offensive. The Pentagon declined to confirm the assets were being relocated. The Ukrainian president said the assets were 'not expensive, but [a] special technology' which specifically defended against Shahed drones. The Shaheds are an inexpensive drone originally made by Iran and imported by Moscow. Russia now mass produces them. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that the Pentagon authorized a transfer of an anti-drone technology utilized by Ukraine to take down Russian drones. 'We counted on these 20,000 missiles,' Zelesnkyy told Raddatz in their exclusive Friday sit-down. He said that earlier in the day, 'my Minister of Defense told me that United States moved it to the Middle East.'
41 minutes ago
Zelenskyy: US moved '20,000 missiles' to fight drones from Ukraine to the Middle East
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told ABC News' Martha Raddatz that his defense minister told him Friday the U.S. had transferred anti-drone weapons which defended against Russian attacks. Zelenskyy said the U.S. would divert "20,000 missiles" from Ukraine's arsenal to the Middle East, where it appears the U.S. would use them for its own force protection. 'Without the help of the United States, we will have more losses,' Zelenskyy told Raddatz in Kyiv last week. The move comes as Russia ramps up its drone attacks and after Ukraine struck deep inside Russia with its own drones last week, shocking Russia in a clandestine operation. Overnight Sunday, Russia launched 479 drones and 20 missiles into Ukraine in an attack the Ukrainian Air Force called an 'absolute record' for a Russian aerial offensive. The Pentagon declined to confirm the assets were being relocated. The Ukrainian president said the assets were 'not expensive, but [a] special technology' which specifically defended against Shahed drones. The Shaheds are an inexpensive drone originally made by Iran and imported by Moscow. Russia now mass produces them. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that the Pentagon authorized a transfer of an anti-drone technology utilized by Ukraine to take down Russian drones. 'We counted on these 20,000 missiles,' Zelesnkyy told Raddatz in their exclusive Friday sit-down. He said that earlier in the day, 'my Minister of Defense told me that United States moved it to the Middle East.'
