Russian officials have revealed that two oil refineries located approximately 40-50 miles (65-80 km) east of Russia’s largest oil export terminals were targeted by drone attacks, according a Reuters report.
According to the report, One of the refineries, Afipsky, has experienced a fire because of the attack, but the other refinery, Ilsky, sustained no damage.
These drone attacks are part of an escalating trend in recent weeks, with strikes occurring in Moscow, oil pipelines, and even the Kremlin, in anticipation of a Ukrainian counter-offensive.
Afipsky oil refinery
During the early hours of the incident, around 0100 GMT, the Afipsky oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar region was struck by a drone, leading to a fire that was later extinguished, according to Governor Veniamin Kondratyev.
The Afipsky refinery is located 50 miles east of Novorossiisk, a crucial oil export gateway for Russia, which, together with the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal, contributes approximately 1.5% of global oil supply.
The South Ozereyevka terminal, operated by CPC, exported 58.7 million tonnes of oil last year, primarily from Kazakhstan.
Additionally, the Sheskharis terminal at Novorossiisk handled around 30 million tonnes of oil. Another drone reportedly crashed into the Ilsky refinery, which is situated approximately 40 miles east of Novorossiisk, according to the state-owned news agency RIA, citing local officials.
The Ilsky refinery’s website states that its five processing units have a combined annual capacity of 3 million tonnes.
While the responsible party for launching these drones remains unknown, Russia has accused Ukraine of increased attacks within its territory, including an attack on Moscow the day before.
Since the start of the “special military operation” in Ukraine in February 2022, refineries across Russia have been frequently facing drone attacks.