Ukraine said it struck two Russian oil refineries on Thursday, intensifying a campaign against the country’s energy sector that has already disrupted production and pushed fuel prices higher.
According to Bloomberg, Ukrainian forces targeted the Kuibyshev refinery in the Samara region near the Volga River and the Afipsky refinery in Krasnodar. Robert Brovdi, head of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, confirmed the strikes in a Telegram post.
Local authorities in Krasnodar said debris from a drone triggered a blaze at the Afipsky refinery, with fire crews battling flames covering roughly 20 square meters. The plant processes up to 9.1 million tons of crude annually, or about 180,000 barrels per day.
Russia has not confirmed damage to the Kuibyshev refinery, operated by state-controlled Rosneft. The facility, with a capacity of 140,000 barrels per day, was already undergoing maintenance. Russia’s Defence Ministry said its air defences shot down more than a dozen drones overnight across the Samara and Rostov regions. Rosneft and Afipsky’s operators did not respond to Bloomberg’s requests for comment.
The strikes come amid a wave of Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries and export infrastructure over the past month, which Bloomberg notes have temporarily knocked out around 13% of Russia’s refining capacity. The disruption has added to domestic fuel shortages and price spikes during peak seasonal demand.
Meanwhile, Russia continued its own assaults. Overnight, a barrage of drone and missile strikes on Kyiv killed at least 10 people, underscoring how energy and civilian infrastructure remain central targets in the conflict.