Ukraine conflict: Kyiv keeps up attacks on Russian oil facilities despite air defences

Imagery purportedly showing a strike on Russia's Black Sea oil terminal in Novorossiysk on 6 April 2026. (General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine)

On 8 April 2026 the Commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces (USF), Robert Brovdi, said on social media that Ukrainian UAVs of the 9^th battalion of the USF had hit the Sea Oil Terminal in Feodosiya in Crimea.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) on 7 April 2026 said on social media that it had hit Russia's Sheskharis oil terminal in Novorossiysk on the Black Sea. “Direct hits on the target and a large-scale fire at the terminal were recorded.”

Separately, Russia's Ministry of Defence (MoD) said on 6 April that Ukrainian fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) had attacked the Caspian Pipeline Consortium's (CPC's) Black Sea terminal. The MoD added that the attack damaged the pipeline of a mobile mooring device, a liquid cargo berth, and four oil storage tanks. The terminal is south-west of Novorossiysk, about 15 km from the Sheskharis terminal. As of 7 April Ukrainian officials had not commented on the claimed attack.

In November 2025 the CPC had said that a Ukrainian unmanned surface vehicle (USV) attack had significantly damaged its Black Sea terminal.

Ust-Luga

Ukraine's General Staff said on social media on 7 April that unnamed Ukrainian forces had hit the Ust-Luga oil terminal around 110 km west of Saint Petersburg.

Ust-Luga had been hit on 25, 29, and 31 March as well.

The General staff said that three oil storage tanks had been damaged. It added that an attack on Russia's nearby Transneft-Port Primorsk had also damaged at least three storage tanks.