Feb 26 (Reuters) - Ukraine launched an overnight drone

attack on Russia's southern Krasnodar region, damaging several

houses including in the Black Sea port of Tuapse, Russian

officials said on Wednesday.

In total, three residential houses were damaged throughout

the region, but there were no immediate reports of injuries,

Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said in a post on the Telegram

messaging app.

A house in Tuapse caught fire but that has since been

extinguished, Sergei Boiko, head of the Tuapse municipality,

said on Telegram.

He added that the work of air defence systems continued.

It was not immediately clear how big the attack was.

Russia's SHOT news Telegram channel reported that Ukrainian

drones appeared to be aimed at the port area and that residents

heard about 40 explosions in what they said sounded like air

defence systems in operation.

Reuters could not independently verify the SHOT report.

There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.

Tuapse is home to Russia's biggest oil refinery on the Black

Sea which has been targeted by Ukrainian drones several times

since the start of the war that Moscow launched against its

smaller neighbour three years ago.

Russia's aviation watchdog Rosaviatsia said on Telegram that

the nearby international airport of Sochi, some 150 km (93

miles) southeast of Tuapse, was closed to air traffic as of 2247

GMT Tuesday to ensure air safety.