Ukrainian drones caused a fire at one of Russia’s largest refineries

Ukrainian drones struck the Ilski refinery in the Krasnodar region of southern Russia overnight, causing fires and disrupting operations at the facility, according to Ukraine’s General Staff and Ukrainian company Fire Point.

The region’s governor, Veniamin Kondratiev, confirmed that drones hit the district where the refinery is located and that fires broke out at two facilities, without specifying their locations. Russia’s independent ASTRA news agency analyzed footage recorded by witnesses and identified one of the fires at the Ilski refinery, located approximately 500 kilometers from territory controlled by Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the attack and posted images of the fire on the X platform. Fire Point, the manufacturer of the long-range FP-1 drones, said that three main refining units and a tank farm had been hit, which reportedly led to the suspension of operations.

The refinery can process approximately 6.6 million tonnes of crude oil annually and, according to Kyiv, also produces fuel for the Russian army. The facility has been targeted in at least 16 attacks since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, according to ASTRA. Ukraine has intensified its attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure in an effort to disrupt supplies to Moscow’s army and the revenues that fund the war.