In the early hours of December 5, 2025, the usually bustling Temryuk port in Russia’s Krasnodar region was rocked by a dramatic drone strike, igniting a firestorm that would burn for days and send ripples through the heart of Russia’s energy infrastructure. According to multiple sources, including the Ukrainian News Agency and reports from Russian Telegram channels such as Astra, the attack was orchestrated by the Alpha Special Operations Center of Ukraine’s Security Service (SSU), marking yet another escalation in the ongoing shadow war between Kyiv and Moscow.
The target: the Maktren-Nafta liquefied gas transshipment terminal, a facility built in 2008 and capable of handling up to 400,000 tons of liquefied gas per year. This terminal is a vital node in Russia’s energy logistics, transshipping gas from railcars and tank containers to specialized gas carriers, and supporting not only the Russian economy but also its military operations. The port itself, as noted by the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, handles a wide array of cargoes, including liquefied natural gas, chemicals, and other materials critical to sustaining the Russian army’s logistics chain.
Eyewitnesses and Russian emergency services described a scene of chaos and devastation. The drone strike set off a massive blaze in the reservoir park, burning more than 20 out of 30 tanks, each with a capacity of 200 cubic meters. The inferno, which covered an area of approximately 3,000 square meters, also destroyed railway tank cars, an intermediate fueling tank, and a loading and unloading overpass. The fire’s magnitude was so great that, according to the Krasnodar region’s Operational Headquarters, firefighting efforts were still underway two days after the initial strike.
This operation was not an isolated incident but part of a broader campaign by Ukrainian forces to systematically degrade Russia’s military and economic capabilities. As the Ukrainian Armed Forces emphasized in a statement cited by Mezha, "The defense forces are systematically implementing measures aimed at reducing the combat potential of the Russian occupying troops, and also at pressuring the Russian Federation to stop its armed aggression against Ukraine." The SSU, for its part, made clear its intentions to continue these strikes. An informed source within the agency told the Ukrainian News Agency, "The SSU will continue to systematically work to cut revenues from the oil and gas sector to the Russian economy. It is this money that finances the war against Ukraine. Hits in the Russian rear at facilities that are working for the war will continue to burn."
The significance of the Temryuk port strike goes beyond the immediate destruction of infrastructure. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, energy facilities, particularly oil refineries and terminals supporting military logistics, have become frequent targets for Ukrainian drone attacks. The Maktren-Nafta terminal, with its strategic role in moving liquefied gas, was a logical yet high-risk target. Its disabling not only disrupts Russia’s ability to supply its military but also sends a powerful message about Ukraine’s growing reach and technological prowess in the drone warfare arena.
Indeed, this was not the first time the SSU’s long-range strike drones had made headlines. As reported by the Ukrainian News Agency, the SSU’s Center of Special Operations "A" previously struck the Orsknefteorgsintez oil refinery in Orenburg Oblast, a staggering 1,400 kilometers from Ukraine, demonstrating an impressive operational range and the capacity to hit deep into Russian territory. Each successful strike chips away at the perception of Russian invulnerability and forces Moscow to divert resources to defend its sprawling infrastructure.
The Temryuk attack unfolded against a backdrop of intensifying Ukrainian efforts to disrupt Russian supply lines and military assets. Just days later, on December 8, Ukrainian FP-2 drones targeted a UAV warehouse in Donetsk and a large fuel storage facility in Simeikyne, Luhansk Oblast, according to reports from Ukrainian and international media. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces launched clearing operations in Kupiansk after severing Russian supply lines, leaving about 60 enemy troops isolated in the town and reportedly prompting some to surrender. In another blow to Russia’s energy sector, the Syzran refinery was knocked offline by repeated Ukrainian drone strikes, with repairs estimated to take about a month.
These attacks are part of a deliberate Ukrainian strategy to strike at the heart of Russia’s war machine. By targeting energy infrastructure and logistical nodes, Ukraine aims not only to reduce Moscow’s combat potential but also to undercut the financial lifelines that sustain the invasion. The SSU’s focus on the oil and gas sector is particularly pointed; as their spokesperson noted, "It is this money that finances the war against Ukraine."
Russia, for its part, has responded with familiar tactics, including threats to escalate its own operations and efforts to intimidate Ukraine and its Western backers. President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly boasted of Russia’s economic resilience and military strength, but independent analysts, such as those at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), suggest that much of this is bluff and bluster intended to sow doubt and division among Ukraine’s allies.
The international response has been complex and, at times, hesitant. While the Netherlands recently pledged €700 million in aid to Ukraine, and Germany has appealed to China to help broker peace (an overture rebuffed by Kyiv, which sees Beijing as having little interest in ending the conflict), other key players like Japan have balked at joining European efforts to seize or repurpose frozen Russian assets. These diplomatic maneuvers underscore the delicate balance between supporting Ukraine and managing the broader geopolitical fallout of the war.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian impact of the conflict continues to mount. Russian strikes on civilian infrastructure, such as a dam near Kharkiv, have put thousands of Ukrainians at risk, highlighting the war’s toll far from the front lines. Human rights organizations have documented the use of Soviet-era filtration methods by Russian forces—kidnappings, torture, and extrajudicial killings—while journalists face arrest and even death, with more than half of those jailed being Ukrainians, according to Reporters Without Borders.
As Ukraine’s drone campaign intensifies, the war’s front lines are no longer defined solely by trenches and artillery. Instead, they stretch deep into the logistical and economic arteries that keep Russia’s war effort alive. The Temryuk port strike, with its dramatic fire and far-reaching implications, is a vivid illustration of this new reality. The message from Kyiv is clear: as long as Russia’s aggression continues, so too will the strikes on the infrastructure that fuels it.
The fire at Temryuk may have finally been extinguished, but the battle for control over energy, logistics, and the future of the region is only growing more intense—and unpredictable.
