FOOTAGE shows the moment a huge explosion rips through a major Russian oil port after a “monster” missile attack from Ukraine.
Russia’s port town of Tuapse on the Black Sea was rocked by explosions overnight after Ukraine allegedly used its new home-produced long-range Flamingo missile
Footage showed a giant explosion at pier 167 with a huge ball of fire rising in the air.
The port on fire is crucial for Russian oil exports, which Moscow uses to fuel its war against Ukraine.
And earlier, there were reports that a vessel – possibly an oil tanker – was on fire because of another Ukrainian attack.
The attack on Tuapse was initially believed to have been by Kyiv’s pioneering sea drones.
But Russian channels speculated that Volodymyr Zelensky’s new Flamingo – entirely produced in Ukraine – had been deployed.
Telegram war channel For Freedom said that the explosion indicated “something pink” had detonated close to a key export pier in the Black Sea port.
Further evidence of a Flamingo strike was a giant crater allegedly caused by a missile that missed the target and hit a beach.
The crater was “clearly left by a very heavy munition, not a simple kamikaze drone”, a Russian media chanel reported.
Shock waves from explosions also damaged property on the shore.
At least four unmanned boats loaded with explosives were involved in the operation, but Russia claimed to have destroyed them.
Ukraine has repeatedly struck Russian oil assets, leading to a collapse in export earnings as well as high prices for petrol and filling station queues.
With a range of 1,865 miles and a 1,150kg warhead, the entirely domestically produced Flamingo is capable of hitting deep inside European Russia and even western Siberia.
Russian capital Moscow can also be struck using the missile.
Serial production of the missile is underway in the Carpathian Mountains, say reports, and its first combat use was in the summer.
Though details of its deployment are scarce
The Flamingo is not subject to Western vetoes on its use to strike targets inside Russia, as is the case with missiles supplied by the US, Britain and France.
It is reportedly resistant to Russian electronic warfare jamming.
The missile has been described in Russia as resembling the Soviet jet UAV Tu-143 Reys and the German cruise missile V-1.
It has been likened to an unmanned jet which flies to its target at high subsonic speeds.
