Novorossiysk is Russia’s largest oil export port on the Black Sea and has an annual handling capacity of more than 25 million tonnes.
Source: dpa
Last week, Ukraine managed to disrupt all Russian oil exports in the Black Sea for several days by first attacking an oil terminal in Tuapse, Russia, and then the port of Novorossiysk.
Recently, Ukraine has increasingly attacked Russian oil refineries.
16 Oct 2025 | 1:50 min
Special operations make attacks possible
These attacks were made possible by special operations carried out on September 21 against Russian radars, other sensors and electronic warfare systems used on offshore gas drilling platforms in the Black Sea.
… is a senior advisor at the European Policy Center. He has researched and published on the topics of security and defense, weapons and technology, stabilization and crisis management for more than 20 years. He regularly analyzes military developments in the Ukrainian conflict for ZDFheute.
… is an Associate Fellow at the Security and Defense Program of the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) in Berlin. He researches and publishes on armed forces in Eastern Europe and Russia as well as hybrid warfare.
Ukraine’s military intelligence agency HUR deployed Katran X1 and X3 maritime drones capable of launching FPV kamikaze drones, decoy drones and even drone-based signal relay stations.
Once this operation was successful and the Russian naval surveillance system in the region was blinded, the opportunity to attack the eastern basin of the Black Sea emerged.
The new US proposal says Ukraine should significantly reduce the number of its troops. “Ukraine will definitely not agree to this,” said ZDF reporter Alica Jung.
11/20/2025 | 2:24 min
The harbor in Tuapse was hit several times
The Tuapse oil port was attacked for the first time on 24 September, immediately after a special operation on 21 September. Major attacks were then carried out on 1 and 2 November, using naval drones and cruise missiles, possibly the Flamingo type.
In the early November attacks, at least two tankers as well as one of the oil loading docks, Rosneft’s oil refinery there and other infrastructure were damaged. As a result, Tuapse had to stop oil exports for approximately a week. Exports did not resume, albeit on a smaller scale, until mid-November, it was reported on Monday this week.
Tuapse is Russia’s second largest oil hub on the Black Sea and can transport 17 million tons of oil and oil products annually.
Military expert Hoffman said in August that oil prices could “severely hurt” Russia.
August 16, 2025 | 8:09 min
Oil prices rose after the attack on the largest oil port on the Black Sea
After the second attack on Tuapse last Friday, Ukrainian naval drones and missiles hit the Novorossiysk oil terminal. Novorossiysk is Russia’s largest oil export port on the Black Sea with a handling capacity of more than 25 million tons per year. News of the attack immediately caused a two percent increase in oil prices worldwide.
The oil loading dock and several other service facilities were damaged in the attack. Additionally, the main S-400 anti-aircraft battery designed to secure the port took a direct hit, destroying at least four S-400 launchers and damaging others. The port completely stopped oil transportation for two to three days, and exports could only resume on Sunday – albeit on a smaller scale.
Due to a lack of will to end the war in Ukraine, US President Trump imposed direct sanctions on Russia for the first time in late October. Two oil companies were affected.
October 23, 2025 | 0:27 min
Ukraine is likely to resume attacks on ports
This means Ukraine is capable of completely stopping Russian maritime oil exports across the Black Sea, at least for a few days – between Friday and Sunday.
Even if Russia manages to resume exports quickly, fully repairing the damaged infrastructure will likely take at least several months.
Meanwhile, it is likely that Ukraine will continue its attack on Novorossiysk to take advantage of the damage caused to both its port and air defenses.
You can find the latest reports on Russia’s attack on Ukraine at any time on our live blog:
Russia attacks Ukraine
:News about the war in Ukraine
Since February 2022, Russia has launched a war of aggression against Ukraine. Kyiv has launched a counteroffensive and fighting continues. News and background information on the ticker.
Live blog
