Kondratyev's arrival in Tuapse sparked criticism on social media.

Upon his arrival in Tuapse, Krasnodar Krai Governor Veniamin Kondratyev announced the expansion of rescue teams to fight the fire at the oil refinery. Social media users called the authorities' arrival in the city a show.

As reported by Kavkazsky Uzel, today, due to a fire at the Tuapse oil refinery, residents of nearby buildings were evacuated to a temporary accommodation center. Classes were canceled at city schools and two kindergartens. During the fire, oil products boiled over and spilled from a storage tank onto the road, damaging several cars.

Russian Emergency Situations Minister Alexander Kurenkov flew to the Krasnodar Territory to assess the situation in Tuapse following another drone attack on an oil refinery, the Emergency Situations Ministry press service reported today. Krasnodar Krai Governor Veniamin Kondratyev also reported his arrival in Tuapse on his Telegram channel.

"I checked on-site how the aftermath of the enemy drone attack is proceeding. Firefighters and rescuers are working in extremely difficult conditions. Given the current situation, we are continuing to increase the number of rescue teams and special equipment at the scene. We will do everything to eliminate the consequences as quickly as possible," Kondratyev wrote.

Residents considered Kondratyev's arrival in Tuapse belated.

Kondratyev's video report on the "difficult, but under control" situation drew criticism on local social media. "A firefighter reports to the governor on the current situation, and the governor abruptly interrupts and asks: "So, are we under control now?" Firefighter: "Yes..." The governor concludes: "That's it!" "We're now under control of the situation!.." And then we hear news like this, like an official bravoing to his superiors: I was there, the situation is under control... I'm so angry! How can they control anything in this general chaos?" - Olga Mikhaylovna, a member of the "My Tuapse" VKontakte community, was indignant.

"It took him a long time to get there. He avoided all the potholes. And now they're all in control," Kote Fausta jokes on the "My Tuapse" Telegram channel.

"Now he'll show off for the cameras, report to Putin that everything is under control, and that's it, show-offs! Where were you on the 16th and 20th, Your Majesty?" Dmitry was indignant.

"If he had arrived on the 16th, when it all started, and reported to Moscow that there was a gap in the city's defenses and the need to strengthen the airspace, there wouldn't have been a repeat attack on the 20th, the girl wouldn't have died, and there might not have been a third attack. But he only arrived now, which isn't great. The dead are, at the very least, on his conscience; he's the head of the region," the user believes. IIIIII.

"If Kurenkov is coming, that means it's a federal emergency, and he should have arrived first, so they wouldn't ask, 'Were you even there and where are you?'" wrote Evgeny.

"He just popped in to report to the higher-ups. Yes, he was there, he saw it. Everything is under control. The burning oil pouring down the streets is under control," fumed user Vishnya Zimnyaya.

Members of the Tuapse VKontakte community also criticized Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov's comment that the oil in the Tuapse storage facilities that caught fire was intended for export. "Peskov also emphasized that with such attacks, the Kiev regime is exacerbating the shortage of petroleum products on global markets and provoking their destabilization," RIA Novosti reported.

"So, at a time like this, the most important thing is the global market and the oil shortage? Seriously? And no one cares about the situation we're in, about nature? The authorities are more concerned about how empty their pockets will be and how it will affect prices than about people's safety and lives," stated Alina Orlova.

"There's an environmental disaster, animals are dying, people are being poisoned, they can't live in peace, and they're still all about the money!" - Elena Kalustova is indignant.

Tuapsinians are unhappy with the evacuation to the school building

"The area's boarding houses are half-empty; pensioners and children in their last grades could easily wait there! At the same time, the state will support the boarding house by allocating funds for those evacuated from the emergency zone," wrote user Viktoria in the Telegram channel "My Tuapse."

"Why were refugees housed in hotels and sanatoriums, and even paid, while our own children are on the floor in schools?" Yulia asked. "I also don't understand, don't we have hotels and boarding houses to accommodate the victims?! What kind of accommodation facility is this in a school?! It's absurd. How can you sleep and eat there?" Helga M agreed.

"The boarding houses are all private and you have to pay for them, but public schools are free. That's the difference!" Alexander put forward a theory.

Residents of other Kuban cities are observing the fire in Tuapse

According to eyewitnesses, smoke from the fire in Tuapse is visible from the Krasnaya Polyana resort. The footage was taken at maximum altitude. Tourists reported that three days ago, no smoke was visible; it was only noticed today, according to "Ostorozhno Novosti."

Ecologist Georgy Kavanosyan also shared several eyewitness reports on his Telegram channel, reporting smoke plumes from other Kuban settlements, including Sirius and Krasnaya Polyana. According to him, smoke from Tuapse also "reached Goryachiy Klyuch and is visible from Krasnodar."

"Smoke from Tuapse is visible in Arkhipo-Osipovka, and a distinct burning smell begins 20 km away from Dzhubga, according to locals," he wrote.

"Kavkazsky Knot" also reported that on April 24, after booms broke, rising water levels in the Tuapse River led to an oil spill into the Black Sea. Authorities declared the spill "local," but oil products have spread to nearby villages. Fuel oil has spread over a large area, and cleanup is being done primarily by volunteers, local residents told the "Caucasian Knot" on April 26. The oil spill that entered the Black Sea after the drone attack in Tuapse is expanding, and the environmental outlook for the coastline is bleak, as are the prospects for the resort season, scientists noted.