A Ukrainian drone attack set fire to an oil refinery near the southern Russian city of Krasnodar overnight, regional authorities said on Thursday, while falling debris from drones injured three people in the region.
The refinery in the settlement of Afipsky, one of the largest in southern Russia, caught fire after the attack, according to the Krasnodar regional crisis centre. The blaze was extinguished by the morning and no injuries were reported at the facility.
Krasnodar Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said on Telegram that three people were injured when drone debris fell on residential buildings elsewhere in the region.
According to media reports, the facility processed about 7 million tons of crude oil in the first year of the war, which started in 2022. Since then, it has been targeted repeatedly by Ukrainian drone attacks.
Ukraine has been defending itself against a full-scale Russian invasion for more than four years. As part of that effort, Kiev has increasingly deployed drones to target defence industry facilities and oil infrastructure deep inside Russia.
Ukraine says the strikes are intended to disrupt fuel supplies for Russian forces and reduce revenues that help finance the war. Shortages of petrol and diesel have recently become increasingly noticeable for civilians in Russian regions near the border and in Ukrainian territories annexed by Moscow.
