Ukrainian Forces Likely Hit Air Defense System During Attack on Tuapse

On May 1, during the fourth attack on oil infrastructure in Tuapse in two weeks, Ukrainian forces likely struck an air defense system at Cape Kadosh near the city.

This is indicated by an analysis by ASTRA.

In a video obtained by ASTRA and verified by the editorial team, an air defense missile launch is visible, followed shortly thereafter by a flash from an explosion at the launch site.

The publication’s OSINT analyst believes that the air defense system, likely a Pantsir-S1, sustained damage but was not completely destroyed.

Атака ППО Туапск 1 травня pic.twitter.com/UvBM3FRO8O

— dimdim (@dimdim518484) May 1, 2026

Following the suspected explosion, two more missiles were launched from the air defense system, which followed an abnormal downward trajectory and fell into the sea. The footage also captures several explosions in the part of the Tuapse maritime terminal closest to the shore.

As the publication determined, based on public satellite photos, there are sites for air defense systems at Cape Kadosh at the end of the Chelyuskintsev Tract road.

During the Soviet era, an air defense regiment (military unit 11587) was stationed at this location, but the position was abandoned shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union. According to an analysis of satellite imagery conducted by Militarnyi, the position was restored after the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, between August 2022 and May 2023.

It is known that on the night of May 1, Tuapse was attacked by drones from the Special Operations Center ‘А’ of the Security Service of Ukraine in coordination with units of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine and the Unmanned Systems Forces.

The regional operational headquarters confirmed damage to oil infrastructure. They stated that a fire broke out at the marine terminal as a result of the attack. At least 128 people and 41 pieces of equipment, including units from Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations, were deployed to extinguish the fire.

The previous three strikes by Ukrainian drones caused large-scale fires, including at a local oil refinery, which took several days to extinguish.

The oil refinery in Tuapse is considered one of Rosneft’s most technologically complex facilities. It forms a single production complex with the marine terminal of the oil products supply company LLC RN-Morskoy Terminal Tuapse.

The facility has an oil refining capacity of approximately 12 million tons per year, and its main products are petroleum distillates, fuel oil, diesel fuel, and jet fuel, 90% of which is exported.