On the night of 17 May, it was hot in Novorossiysk. Ukraine attacked at least 2 oil depots and 2 terminals. Explosions also occurred in the seaport and at the Tuapse oil refinery.
Why is the strike on Novorossiysk so important?
Military expert, head of the Center for Military-Legal Research Oleksandr Musienko and political technologist Boris Tisenhausen explained why the attack on Novorossiysk is very important.
Boris Tisenhausen said that a significant event took place — Ukrainian drones attacked the largest Russian seaport in Novorossiysk. The drones managed to damage two terminals out of more than 12 available. We are talking about the "Novorossiysk fuel oil terminal" and the "Importpisheprom" terminal — in the latter, two tanks with fuel were hit by an unmanned aerial vehicle. Oil of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan is also located on the territory.
Before that, there had been only one strike on Novorossiysk, when Ukraine damaged the large amphibious assault ship Olenegorskiy Gornyak on 3 August 2023. At the same time, this time it managed to undermine Russia's export potential by billions and billions of dollars. Now, for all countries that export their oil through the aggressor country, insurance amounts and the perception of relations with the Kremlin will change significantly.
Novorossiysk is already a relatively safe port. One more blow and a third of foreign companies will fold and look for alternative ways. This is the importance of the strike,’ the political technologist emphasised.
Master work of Ukrainians
This is the second time that Ukrainian drones have struck the Tuapse refinery. The first attack took place at the beginning of March. After the Russians repaired the plant, two unmanned aerial vehicles struck the enterprise again on May 17.
They just went out and worked, stopped again and invested in repairs. The mood is getting worse. This demotivates the people who work there. Investors and Kremlin elites are also concerned. There is a whole range of problems, said Musienko.
The Ukrainian drone operators worked meticulously and like jewellery. After all, we got right to the refinery — this is the most valuable thing there. Without this element, the refinery cannot operate.
