One of Russia's biggest oil terminals at Novorossiysk erupted in a huge fireball after an overnight drone strike attributed to Ukraine, forcing the port to suspend oil exports and pushing global prices up about 2%. Local footage showed a towering mushroom-cloud explosion, and Russian officials reported damage to the terminal, a civilian ship and coastal facilities. Separately, large-scale strikes on Kyiv killed at least four people and injured dozens, triggering mass rescues and disrupting utilities. Ukrainian and Western officials say Kyiv's long-range campaign has significantly degraded Russian refining capacity, though some details remain unconfirmed.
Huge Fireball at Novorossiysk Oil Port After Reported Ukrainian Drone Strike — Exports Halted, Oil Prices Rise
One of Russia's biggest oil terminals at Novorossiysk erupted in a huge fireball after an overnight drone strike attributed to Ukraine, forcing the port to suspend oil exports and pushing global prices up about 2%. Local footage showed a towering mushroom-cloud explosion, and Russian officials reported damage to the terminal, a civilian ship and coastal facilities. Separately, large-scale strikes on Kyiv killed at least four people and injured dozens, triggering mass rescues and disrupting utilities. Ukrainian and Western officials say Kyiv's long-range campaign has significantly degraded Russian refining capacity, though some details remain unconfirmed.
02:38 PM, 11/14/2025Conflict
Massive blaze at Novorossiysk after overnight strike
One of Russia's largest oil terminals erupted in a towering fireball after an overnight drone strike attributed to Ukraine, officials and footage from the scene reported. Explosions rocked the Black Sea export hub of Novorossiysk, and local video showed a mushroom-cloud-like plume lighting the night sky.
Russian authorities said the terminal and a civilian vessel were struck and that several coastal facilities sustained damage. Unconfirmed accounts also suggested an air-defence system may have been hit. Sources told Reuters the port has suspended all oil exports following the attack.
Market and infrastructure impact
Global crude prices jumped about 2% on concerns over supply disruption. The Sheskharis oil complex at Novorossiysk is the terminus for pipelines run by state-controlled Transneft, operator of the world’s largest oil-pipeline network, making the site strategically important for Russian exports.
Novorossiysk suffered the most, said Veniamin Kondratyev, governor of Krasnodar region, adding that more than 170 people and some 50 pieces of equipment responded overnight to extinguish fires and assist residents.
Wider campaign and context
Ukraine has intensified long-range strikes on Russian energy infrastructure since August, repeatedly targeting refineries, pipelines and sea terminals. Ukrainian officials say the campaign has cut Russian refining capacity by more than 20%, contributing to domestic fuel shortages and prompting partial bans on diesel and petrol exports.
Western reporting has said the US government under the Trump administration reportedly provided intelligence to help Kyiv identify oil targets, while Kyiv increasingly relies on domestically produced long-range weapons for the operations. These claims are reported by officials and have not been independently verified in all cases.
Separate strikes on Kyiv
Separately, Moscow launched a large-scale overnight attack on Kyiv, striking nearly 'every district' according to local officials. Ukrainian authorities reported at least four people killed, 27 injured and 15 admitted to hospital, including a pregnant woman and two children. Emergency crews rescued more than 40 people from fires and damaged buildings across eight of the city's 10 districts.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia launched around 430 drones and 18 missiles in the offensive, calling it 'a deliberately calculated attack aimed at causing maximum harm to people and civilian infrastructure.' The strikes disrupted heating in parts of Kyiv and raised warnings of potential power and water outages as winter approaches.
Reporting on both the Novorossiysk strike and the attacks on Kyiv continues to evolve; some claims, such as hits to specific military systems, remain unconfirmed.