Ukrainians attaching fuel oil tanks to UAVs. Russians given strangest explanation for "oil rain" in Tuapse
Veniamin Kondratyev, governor of the Krasnodar Krai in the aggressor state of the russian federation, called a video posted by residents of Tuapse — in which they showed the aftermath of an "oil rain" or a stream of burning oil that flowed through the city streets following one of the recent drone attacks on an oil refinery, a "psychological attack".
According to the russian publication ASTRA, Kondratyev made these remarks in an interview with the local TV channel "Anapa Region" (the interview was removed from the website, but an archived version is available online).
Kondratyev was reminded that residents of Tuapse had posted dozens of videos showing “oil rain,” as well as footage of a massive fire at the oil refinery’s tank farm. He was asked what “really” lies behind these images and whether citizens should be concerned.
"But here we need to look closely at what they’re trying to force on us. We’re seeing a new, I’d say, underhanded and innovative tactic from the enemy — they’re attaching extra fuel tanks to drones. Why? To create a bright flame and smoke when shot down. This is a pure psychological attack, a performance for the cameras," the governor replied.
According to him, when russian troops shoot down a drone, the fuel is sprayed and burns on the ground. This supposedly creates the impression that “something serious is burning,” but in reality, “it’s just the remains of enemy fuel burning out.”
"These are all pathetic attempts to pass off wishful thinking as reality. There are no serious hits; I am officially stating this to you. And if there are some pockets of smoke and local fires, it is solely due to the falling debris of destroyed drones and their subsequent uncontrolled detonation upon impact with the ground," Kondratyev added.
According to ASTRA, this interview was published last Wednesday, April 29, but was later removed for unknown reasons.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, April 30, the "Anapa Region" website published a statement claiming that their site had allegedly been hacked, after which the purportedly fake interview with Kondratyev was posted on it.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, overnight on May 1, the "Alpha" Special Operations Center of the Security Service of Ukraine struck an oil refinery in Tuapse. As a result of the drone strike, a massive fire broke out on the refinery’s premises.
This is already the fourth attack on the oil refinery in the past two weeks. The Ukrainian military carried out the first strike on Tuapse on April 16. After each attack, a massive fire broke out in the tank farm, accompanied by the release of large volumes of combustion products from petroleum products.
As a reminder, as early as April 20, residents of Tuapse complained about an “oil rain.” They posted dozens of photos and videos online showing clothes, windows, and cars covered in black droplets.
Later, russian media reported, citing environmentalists, that Tuapse and nearby towns face the risk of a ruined tourist season due to the pollution of the sea and coastline with petroleum products.