Ukraine Targets Russia's Key Black Sea Oil Port

Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles struck buildings in and around the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk during the night of September 8-9, local officials and Ukrainian commanders said. Novorossiysk mayor Andrey Kravchenko reported on Telegram that four civilians were killed and that civil infrastructure sustained damage. Ukrainian media and social channels also reported a fire at a fuel oil terminal at the port following the overnight strikes.

Robert "Magyar" Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, confirmed a strike on the Novorossiysk naval base and said the attack destroyed Russian military vessels, including missile carriers. Those military claims have been made publicly by Ukrainian forces in connection with the operation.

The assault is the latest in a series of strikes against Novorossiysk over the past year as Kyiv seeks to limit Russia’s oil export capacity and revenue. Previous attacks have at times forced temporary suspensions of oil loadings at Novorossiysk and at the nearby Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) export terminal. The CPC runs roughly 1,500 kilometers from Kazakhstan’s Tengiz field across southern Russia to Novorossiysk and carries more than 80% of Kazakhstan’s crude exports; major international producers such as Chevron and ExxonMobil use the route to reach global markets.

Ukraine has also targeted Russia’s northern export hub at Ust-Luga, where a large drone strike last week reportedly sparked a fire. In addition, strikes on refineries inside Russia have contributed to a domestic fuel shortage that Moscow has sought to manage by extending a ban on diesel exports through the end of September. The reporting in this summary is based on an OilPrice.com article by Charles Kennedy.