A Ukrainian drone strike caused a “massive fire” at Russia’s Tuapse oil refinery on the Black Sea, Russian officials said Tuesday, forcing the evacuation of nearby buildings.Refinery, owned by RosneftAccording to industry sources, operations were suspended from April 16 following the first drone attack. It mainly supplies oil products for export.Reuters reported that Ukraine had no immediate comment on the latest attack. Kiev has stepped up attacks inside Russia since March as US-brokered talks over the war in Ukraine stalled and Washington focused primarily on the Iran conflict.Veniamin Kondratiev, governor of Russia’s Krasnodar region, said the latest attack caused a massive fire at the facility.“Another serious incident has occurred in Tuapse. A massive fire broke out at an oil refinery after a drone attack,” Kondratiev said on Telegram.The Tuapse refinery is one of Russia’s major Black Sea energy facilities and has been targeted in drone strikes before.The head of the Tuapse district, Sergei Boyko, ordered the evacuation of roads around the refinery due to fears the fire could spread to surrounding areas.Officials did not immediately provide casualties or details on the scale of damage beyond the fire. Emergency services were deployed to control the fire.The refinery and the nearby Tuapse port have faced repeated attacks in recent months. An earlier attack caused oil to spill into the sea and cause a fire that took several days to extinguish.Last week, local residents were advised to stay indoors, keep windows closed and wipe down surfaces as byproducts of the previous fire mixed with rainwater, leaving a “black layer” in areas near the terminal, local officials said.The Kremlin said measures were being taken in response to the latest attack. According to Reuters, Kremlin officials said the necessary measures were being taken following the Ukrainian drone attack on the refinery.The Tuapse refinery has an annual production capacity of approximately 12 million metric tons or 240,000 barrels per day. It produces naphtha, diesel, fuel oil and vacuum gasoil.Its Black Sea location makes it strategically important for Russian fuel exports.