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Transneft halts oil pumping to Russian port of Novorossiysk after Ukrainian drone strikes as city declares state of emergency

The Insider

Oil-loading facilities at the port of Novorossiysk came under drone attack overnight on Nov. 13-14, prompting authorities to declare a state of emergency in the city. According to Reuters, Transneft has suspended oil pumping to the port following the incident.

The operational headquarters of Russia’s Krasnodar Region said early Thursday that a fuel depot at the Sheskharis oil terminal was damaged, and debris (1, 2) from drones fell on several apartment buildings. Officials also reported that drone fragments struck a civilian vessel in the port, injuring three crew members.

Later, local authorities declared a state of emergency in Novorossiysk. Mayor Andrei Kravchenko said one person had been injured.

Videos posted to Telegram channels captured the moment of the explosions. A clip posted by the Ukrainian open source intelligence project CyberBoroshno (lit. “CyberFlour”) appears to show a strike on an S-300 or S-400 air defense system belonging to Russia’s 1537th Air Defense Regiment.

NASA’s FIRMS satellite fire-tracking system detected fires at the presumed location of the S-300/S-400 strike. It also registered three large fire hotspots in the part of the port area where oil terminals are located.

Reuters, citing two sources, reported that Transneft halted the flow of oil to the Novorossiysk port following the overnight attack. The company declined to comment.