The Daily Populous Friday January 2nd, 2026 night edition
Authored by kyivindependent.com and submitted by AdSpecialist6598

Ukrainian drone strikes inflicted significant damage on Russian oil and weapons facilities in attacks carried out overnight on Dec. 31, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces confirmed.

Targets included Russia's Tuapse Oil Refinery, the Tamanneftegaz oil terminal, a Rosreserv oil base, a temporary military base for river boats, and ammunition depots in occupied Ukraine.

Previously, sources in Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) and State Security Service (SBU) told the Kyiv Independent about attacks on the Tuapse Oil Refinery and Rosreserv oil depot.

The Kyiv Independent could not verify the military's claims.

Ukraine has escalated its strike campaign against oil facilities inside Russia and Russian-occupied territories throughout 2025, primarily relying on domestically developed drones.

The General Staff reported that Ukrainian drones hit Russia's Tuapse Oil Refinery in Krasnodar Krai, causing a fire and damaging the facility's primary processing unit.

Earlier, sources inside Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) told the Kyiv Independent the Tuapse refinery had been attacked overnight.

A fire broke out at the refinery after it was struck by drones, the General Staff said. The primary oil processing unit (ELOU-AVT-12) and other complex installations were damaged.

The Tuapse Oil Refinery is one of the 10 largest in Russia, with a processing capacity of about 12 million tons of petroleum products per year. The facility plays a key role in supplying the Russian military, producing automobile gasoline, diesel fuel, fuel oil, and raw materials for petrochemicals.

The refinery has been targeted in previous Ukrainian strikes. The port city of Tuapse lies around 75 kilometers northwest of the major city of Sochi and regularly comes under attack by Ukrainian drones.

Ukraine carried out another overnight strike on oil infrastructure in Krasnodar Krai, targeting the Tammanneftogaz oil terminal in the Russian coastal village of Volna, the military said.

The Tammaneftogaz terminal is located on Krasnodar Krai's Taman Peninsula, not far from the Crimean Bridge. The facility is designed for the storage and transport of crude oil, petroleum products, and liquefied hydrocarbon gas, both for export and to supply Russian troops. The complex is one of the largest in the Black Sea region.

Ukraine's Special Operations Forces (SSO) carried out the operation against the terminal, using "several drones" which it said "successfully reached their targets."

Two berths at the terminal with oil loading racks were damaged in the attack, according to General Staff.

"The port infrastructure was put out of action," the SSO said.

The military published video footage of the reported operation on social media.

0:00 / 1× Video footage reportedly depicting a drone attack against Russia's Tamanneftegaz oil terminal in Krasnodar Krai on Dec. 31, 2025. (Special Operations Forces / Telegram)

Ukraine has hit the Tamanneftegaz facility in previous attacks, including one just over a week earlier on Dec. 22.

A source in HUR told the Kyiv Independent that the Dec. 22 strike damaged equipment at the oil terminal, the liquefied hydrocarbon gas pier, and other port infrastructure, triggering a large-scale fire.

Ukrainian drones also successfully hit a large oil depot in Rybinsk, a city 160 miles north of Moscow in Yaroslavl Oblast, the General Staff said.

The facility, known as the "Temp" depot, is managed by Rosreserv, a state agency responsible for stockpiling commodities for times of crisis.

Earlier, an SBU source told the Kyiv Independent that the site was attacked overnight and shared footage of the reported strike.

According to the General Staff, the Temp oil base is "involved in the storage, receipt, release, and accounting of strategic reserves, including petroleum products." The overnight drone attack hit the depot, causing a large fire.

The full extent of the damage is still being investigated, the military said.

Ukraine reported additional strikes on military targets in Russian-occupied regions, including Crimea and Donetsk Oblast.

Ukrainian forces "inflicted fire damage" on a temporary base for Russian river boats near Olenivka, a village in occupied Crimea, the General Staff reported.

Russian ammunition and logistics depots were also "destroyed" in occupied Donetsk Oblast, according to the General Staff and the SSO.

The SSO reported attacking and destroying a logistics hub of the Russian "Vostok" unit in the village of Blyzhnye as well as an ammunition and logistics depot in Siyatel used by Russia's 30th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade.

The reported attacks on Russian military and industrial assets mark the end of a year of intensifying drone warfare, with Moscow ramping up mass attacks on Ukrainian cities and Kyiv hitting more Russian refineries, weapons facilities, and energy infrastructure in an effort to bring the war home to Russia.

Despite multiple rounds of U.S.-brokered peace talks, Russia appears no closer to accepting a peace agreement, instead manufacturing new propaganda claims and doubling down on maximalist demands for Ukraine's capitulation.

M4d_Moxxi on January 1st, 2026 at 14:48 UTC »

Best type of fireworks

Wonderful-Pause1048 on January 1st, 2026 at 14:15 UTC »

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poestavern on January 1st, 2026 at 14:09 UTC »

Great news to start the New Year! Go Ukraine!