Debris from a drone that was shot down by Russia sparked a fire at the refinery, which has since been contained, the regional administration said on the Telegram messaging app.

There were no casualties, it added.

It was not immediately clear if the refinery was operational or the extent of the damage it had sustained.

Russia’s defence ministry earlier said its air defence systems destroyed 75 drones launched by Ukraine, including eight near Tuapse.

The Tuapse refinery has been a target of several Ukrainian air attacks since the start of the war that Russia launched against its smaller neighbour in 2022.

Russia’s SHOT and Mash Telegram news channels reported that a series of blasts were heard near the refinery early this morning.

Russian officials rarely disclose the full extent of damage inflicted by Ukrainian attacks.

Earlier, the defence ministry said 47 drones were downed over the Rostov region in Russia’s southwest, 17 over the waters of the Black and Azov seas, eight over the Krasnodar region, where Tuapse is located, and single drones over the Belgorod, Voronezh and Smolensk region.

The ministry did not say whether its defence systems destroyed the drones.

Vasily Golubev, governor of the Rostov region, said on Telegram that no one was injured as a result of the attack and there was no serious damage detected.

Reuters could not independently verify the Russian reports. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.

Kyiv has often said that the attacks on Russia’s military, energy and transport infrastructure are in response to Russia’s continuous attacks on Ukraine’s territory.