As of the morning of March 22, 2025, a fire continues to burn at the Kavkazskaya oil transshipment point in Krasnodar Krai, which began on the night of March 19. The fire, caused by an attack by Ukrainian drones, engulfed a strategically important facility that ensures the transportation of oil for export, and despite the efforts of hundreds of specialists, the fire has not yet been brought under control.

The fire broke out after three unmanned aircraft-type aerial vehicles attacked an oil depot near the village of Kavkazskaya on the night of March 19. According to the operational headquarters of the Krasnodar Territory, the wreckage of one of the downed drones damaged a pipeline between the tanks, which led to a leak of oil products and a subsequent fire. Initially, the area of ​​the fire was only 20 square meters, but by the evening of the first day it had grown to 4250 square meters due to the spread of flames to neighboring tanks. On the night of March 21, the situation worsened: depressurization of the burning tank caused an explosion, a release of burning oil and an increase in the area of ​​the fire to 10 thousand square meters. By the morning of Saturday, March 22, rescuers managed to reduce the fire zone to 2 thousand square meters, but one tank had completely burned out, and the second continues to blaze.

More than 470 people and over 180 units of equipment, including fire trains and helicopters, are working at the scene of the emergency. Two firefighters were injured as a result of the night explosion, receiving minor burns and poisoning by combustion products, their condition is assessed as stable. The work of the oil depot has been suspended, 30 employees of the duty shift have been evacuated. The Russian Defense Ministry described the attack as a provocation by Kyiv, aimed at disrupting the peace initiatives agreed upon during recent negotiations between the presidents of Russia and the United States.

The Kavkazskaya transshipment point plays a key role in the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) system, pumping up to 6 million tons of oil annually from rail tank cars into pipelines for export. The damage to the facility has already reduced planned transit volumes, which, according to Transneft, will affect the income of CPC shareholders, including American companies. Regional authorities have restricted traffic on the Novoaleksandrovsk-Kropotkin highway to ensure safety and access for emergency services to the fire site.