Western Governments Seek Restraint on Ukrainian Oil Strikes Inside Russia

(TUAPSE, KRASNODAR KRAI) – A Ukrainian drone strike has hit an oil refinery at Russia’s Black Sea port of Tuapse, triggering a fire and killing at least one person, as calls grow among some Western partners for Kyiv to limit attacks on Russian energy infrastructure.

Ukrainian authorities said their military targeted the refinery on Russia’s southern coast as part of efforts to disrupt Moscow’s war funding. The strike caused a fire at the seaport, a key export hub for Russian oil.

Ukraine’s military drone forces commander said the refinery had been struck for a second time this week. The General Staff of Ukraine’s armed forces confirmed an earlier attack on the same facility on 16 April, describing it as part of a campaign to reduce Russia’s capacity to finance its war.

Officials in Moscow said one man was killed and another injured in the latest strike, with the injured person taken to hospital. A fire broke out again at the port, damaging port facilities and civilian infrastructure.

Authorities reported that 17 buildings were damaged and that school classes were cancelled in the area following the attack. The previous strike on 16 April caused a large fire that burned for several days. Two people were killed in that incident, including a 14 year old girl and a young woman, and seven others were injured.

Ukraine has increasingly targeted Russian oil export infrastructure, including major ports and refineries, in what officials describe as a direct attempt to limit revenue used by the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to sustain the war.

However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said some European partners have urged Kyiv to scale back such strikes. He noted that sanctions on Russian oil had not been fully restored to previous levels.

The United States has extended a sanctions waiver until 16 May, allowing oil already loaded on to ships to be sold. Analysts say this has created a gap between political commitments to restrict Russian revenues and the practical flow of exports.

Ukraine’s continued strikes on energy infrastructure appear to reflect both frustration with the pace of sanctions and a strategy to directly constrain Russian export capacity.

The report is based on coverage by Al Jazeera English, with updates from Kyiv and Moscow.