At least one unit of an oil refinery in the Russian town of Slavyansk-on-Kuban was damaged in a Ukrainian drone attack over the weekend, the Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti claimed on May 20, citing an unnamed representative in the operating company.
The plant, located in Russia's Krasnodar Krai, came under a Ukrainian drone attack overnight on May 18-19, Ukrainska Pravda reported, citing an undisclosed source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
The full extent of the damage is being determined, RIA Novosti's source said.
The oil refinery suspended operations following the attack, the company said in a statement.
In recent months, Ukrainian forces have launched a series of drone strikes aimed at damaging Russia's oil industry, which is crucial to sustain Moscow's war efforts, as well as its military hardware.
The same day as the Slavyansk refinery came under attack, Ukrainian drones also targeted Russia's Kushchevskaya military airbase, hosting "dozens" of military aircraft, including Su-34s, Su-25s, Su-27s, and MiG-29s, Ukrainska Pravda's SBU source claimed.
Chris York
(Updated: )
