'People once envied us' — Tuapse oil fire spreads as tour operators downplay tourist season risks

A screengrab from a video shows dense black smoke rising from the Tuapse oil refinery in Tuapse, Russia, on April 28, 2026. (Krasnodar Region Governor Veniamin Kondratyev / Telegram / AP) Prefer on Google by Kateryna Hodunova Local Russian authorities are struggling to deal with the aftermath of Ukrainian strikes on the oil refinery in Tuapse on the Black Sea coast, even as tour operators continue to count on a busy resort season. Ukrainian drones struck an oil facility in Krasnodar Krai , which processes about 12 million tons of oil annually, three times over the past two weeks: on April 16 , 20 , and 28 . Following the third attack, a state of emergency was declared in the municipal district, and some residents living near the facility were evacuated indefinitely. Since the first strike, local emergency services have managed to contain the fire and even fully extinguish it at the marine terminal, but it has continued to burn at storage tank sites, intensifying with each subsequent attack. "People once envied us for living by the sea, but now no one does," a resident told Russian independent media outlet Sota.Vision on April 28. As a result of the Ukrainian strikes , 24 storage tanks were destroyed and four more damaged, while a crude oil processing facility was also hit. The fire is so intense that it can be seen from the Krasnaya Polyana ski resort, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) away. L-R: A massive plume of smoke rises from the burning Tuapse oil refinery on April 28, 2026, as seen from the Krasnaya Polyana ski resort approximately 100 kilometers (60 miles) away. (Astra / Telegram) Yet Russian President Vladimir Putin said on April 28 during a security meeting that there were "No serious threats" and that "People were managing the challenges they face on the ground." Since the fire broke out at the facility in Tuapse, the epicenter of the incident, rainfall has occurred at least twice, causing airborne petroleum byproducts to settle on surrounding surfaces. Residents have posted photos of black puddles in the streets, blackened hands, and cars covered in dark droplets, saying that in the city "You cannot breathe" and that your feet simply "stick" to the road because of the oil slick covering all the surfaces. Some petroleum products spilled onto streets near the facility, according to Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry. A video has also surfaced online showing a fire breaking out directly on the street as a result of the spill. 0:00 / 1× A stream of burning oil flows through a street in Tuapse, Russia, on April 28, 2026. (Sternenko / Telegram) The fire at the oil refinery also spread to a nearby apartment building overnight on April 29, but no residents were injured after being evacuated in time, and the blaze was eventually extinguished, the Krasnodar Krai Emergency Response Headquarters said. Tuapse, which saw one of the largest increases in tourist numbers last year, according to local Russian media, is among the Black Sea destinations now considered unsafe to visit this season. Photos and videos shared on Russian social media show an oil slick spreading across the Black Sea and beaches in Tuapse covered in oil as well. According to local authorities, at least 2,500 cubic meters of contaminated soil and a mixture of water and fuel oil have been removed from the city over the past day. "They are cleaning up the oil with their own hands," a resident told Sota.Vision on April 26. "Is Russia really so weak that it does not have the equipment to clean all of this up?" Following the second attack on the oil refinery, when an oil slick was already drifting near the city's coastline and outskirts, the Russian Association of Tour Operators (ATOR) claimed on April 24 that the situation would not lead to a decline in tour sales in the region this summer. ATOR Vice President Sergey Romashkin said in an official statement that the resort towns, where "most popular hotels are located," are situated "dozens of kilometers" from Tuapse, and that conditions there remain unaffected so far, with "no smoke" and "clean water." 0:00 / 1× Oil-contaminated waters of the Black Sea along the coastline of Tuapse, Russia, on April 29, 2026. (Exilenova+ / Telegram) However, traces of petroleum products have been detected in waters off Dzhubga and Arkhipo-Osipovka, about 57 kilometers (35 miles) from the spill site in Tuapse, according to Kedr.media , an independent Russian media outlet specializing in environmental issues. To the northwest lie several other resort towns, including Gelendzhik, near which the so-called "Putin's Palace" is located. Its construction was estimated at 1.1 billion euros ($1.3 billion) in 2021 and was financed through a large-scale corruption scheme, according to an investigation by the Anti-Corruption Foundation founded by Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny . While local authorities described the situation in Tuapse as "under control" and expressed hope of salvaging the upcoming tourist season, volunteers said there are not enough people to clean up oil from the beaches, while benzene levels in the air have exceeded safe limits, according to the Russian independent outlet Astra . Emergency Situations Minister Aleksandr Kurenkov said on April 28 that the oil spill at the refinery had been contained, but that measures to fully eliminate it remained "insufficient." 0:00 / 1× Flames and thick smoke rise from the Tuapse oil refinery in Tuapse, Russia, on April 28, 2026. (Exilenova+ / Telegram) Kurenkov added that additional earthen embankments — breastworks — and containment booms would be installed to prevent petroleum products from leaking into the sea and the surrounding areas near the facility. At the same time, Ukrainian forces continue to intensify their campaign against Russian oil facilities, which are among the main sources of funding for Russia's war in Ukraine. Following the attack on Tuapse, oil facilities in the Russian cities of Perm and Orsk were struck on April 29. Both cities are located more than 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) from the Ukrainian-Russian border. Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.