Drone attack sparks fire at oil refinery in southern Russia, officials say
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Editor's Note: This is a developing story.
An oil refinery in the village of Novominskaya in Russia's Krasnodar Krai caught fire on Feb. 28 following a drone attack, according to the Krasnodar Krai Operational Headquarters.
Falling debris from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) ignited the blaze, the Operational Headquarters reported. Emergency crews and specialized services were dispatched to the scene.
The reported target was the Albashneft "mini-refinery" in Krasnodar Krai's Novominskaya, a village that lies roughly 250 kilometers (150 miles) from the front line in Ukraine.
Flames engulfed one of the tanks at the facility and burned an adjacent area of about 150 square meters, authorities said. Thirty-nine firefighters were deployed to extinguish the blaze. No casualties have been reported.
By approximately 8 a.m. local time, Russian authorities reported that a fire resulting from the attack had been extinguished.
Russia’s Interior Ministry said its air defenses intercepted 97 Ukrainian drones overnight across several regions. The ministry reported that 40 drones were shot down over occupied Crimea and 22 over Bryansk region. Sixteen were intercepted over the border Belgorod region, 10 over the Black Sea, and at least four in Krasnodar Krai.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the Russian officials' claims at the time of publication.
Ukraine has routinely launched deep strikes against military and industrial facilities in Russia and Russian-occupied territories, often using domestically developed drones. Krasnodar Krai, which lies across the Kerch Strait from the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula, has been a frequent target of Ukrainian attacks.
The Albashneft facility in Novominskaya was reportedly struck in a previous attack in February 2025.
Ukrainian forces consider Russian oil assets to be legitimate military targets, as these facilities supply the Russian army while profits from fossil fuel exports continue to fund the Kremlin's war chest.
