A fire has broken out at a refinery in the Krasnodar region of southern Russia following a Ukrainian drone attack, Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said in a Telegram post on Sunday.
One person was killed in the attack. Aside from the refinery in Slavyansk-na-Kubani, several houses, a power line and a gas pipeline were damaged, he said.
It appeared to be a major fire, according to images and videos shared online. With a processing capacity of 4 to 5 million tons of oil per year, according to various sources, the facility is not particularly large.
However, as it is near Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, annexed by Russia, Kiev has attacked and damaged the refinery several times.
Other Russian regions, including Yaroslavl and Ivanovo, north-east of Moscow, also reported drone attacks. The Russian military said it shot down 213 Ukrainian drones, suggesting this was another massive attack.
Ukraine takes lead in drone war
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, the Russian military has destroyed Ukrainian cities, killed thousands of civilians and forced millions of people to flee their homes.
Kiev seeks to repel the invasion by attacking strategic Russian targets such as military and arms facilities or oil refineries in the Russian hinterland.
Ukraine has increasingly gained the upper hand in the drone war recently, causing a fuel shortage in Russia.
FILE PHOTO – A Zirka interceptor drone takes off for a test flight during Defence Minister Pistorius’ visit to a drone defence site on the outskirts of Kiev. (is associated with: «Ukraine drone attack sets southern Russia refinery on fire») Kay Nietfeld/dpa