Following strikes, port of Tuapse has suspended oil shipments, - Navy
The Ukrainian Defence Forces’ strikes on Russian oil infrastructure not only reduce the Kremlin’s resources for waging war, but also weaken a key sector of the Russian economy.
This was stated by Dmytro Pletenchuk, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Navy, during a television broadcast, according to Censor.NET, citing RBC-Ukraine.
Russia has lost an important export route for petroleum products
According to him, following a series of intensive strikes by Ukrainian drones on the Tuapse oil refinery and the adjacent Rosneft marine terminal, oil shipments from the site have ceased.
"Last month, Tuapse did not ship any oil at all. Given that around 20% of Russian oil used to be shipped from here by tanker, this is a serious matter. And the port of Tuapse is the largest in the Russian Federation," Pletenchuk pointed out.
Logistics problems could hit the entire Russian oil industry
A spokesperson for the Navy noted that this is not merely a loss of revenue that would have enabled Russia to fund the war. It is also about the technological implications for the entire industry.
Oil production has its own specific characteristics, so it is not possible to halt production simply because there is nowhere to ship the oil. This could trigger a chain reaction that would affect the industry as a whole.
"The loss of such export opportunities will affect the overall picture. Because you can’t simply divert this oil, for example, to the port of Ust-Luga on the Baltic Sea. It doesn’t work like that. This infrastructure was built over decades, and it was designed for stable operation and a steady supply of oil. But that is no longer the case," explained Pletenchuk.
What happened beforehand?
- It was previously reported that the oil refinery in Tuapse came under a series of drone strikes on 16 April, as well as a follow-up attack on 20 April.
- Also, on the night of 26 April, the Defence Forces struck the Yaroslavl oil refinery in Russia.
- On the night of 28 April, drones attacked again the Tuapse oil refinery in Tuapse.
- On 1 May, there was another strike. Specifically, SSU drones struck the port of Tuapse and an oil refinery, causing a fire in a mixture of oil and fuel oil.
