Russia’s Tuapse oil refinery is still operating, deputy PM says after Ukrainian drone strike on it

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s Tuapse oil refinery is still operating, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Tuesday, a day after local authorities reported that the refinery had been damaged in a Ukrainian drone attack.

The Tuapse plant, Russia’s biggest refinery on the Black Sea, was damaged in a major Ukrainian drone attack on Monday which sparked a fire. The extent of the damage is still unclear.

Ukraine has been systematically targeting Russian energy infrastructure in an attempt to disrupt Russia’s economy and its ability to fund Russia’s war in Ukraine, something the Kremlin calls a special military operation.

The refinery, which has a processing capacity of 240,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil, has been a target of several Ukrainian air attacks since the start of the conflict.

(Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Writing by Maxim Rodionov; Editing by Andrew Osborn)