Ukraine's drone strike reportedly sets fire to Russian oil depot in Krasnodar Krai
An oil facility caught fire following a Ukrainian drone strike against Krasnodar Krai in southwestern Russia overnight on Feb. 5, local authorities and Telegram channels reported.
The fire at the Albashneft oil depot was extinguished at 8:11 am Moscow time, the independent Telegram channel Astra reported, publishing a video of what appears to be a burning oil tank.
The news comes as Ukraine is ramping up long-range drone strikes against Russian targets in the rear, focusing on oil facilities crucial for supplying the Russian military and feeding Moscow's war chest.
Ukrainian drones reportedly attacked energy facilities in Astrakhan and Volgograd oblasts, also located in southern Russia, overnight on Feb. 3.
"Our forces repelled a Ukrainian drone attack," Krasnodar Krai Governor Veniamin Kondratev claimed on his Telegram channel.
"In the village of Novominskaya in the Kanevsky district, drone wreckage fell on a tank containing residual amount of petroleum products," he claimed.
The village of Novominskaya lies roughly 250 kilometers (150 miles) from the front line in Ukraine.
The governor confirmed that a fire broke out but reported no casualties. The extent of damage to the facility is not immediately clear.
The strike against the Albashneft oil depot was also reported by Andrii Kovalenko, the counter-disinformation chief at Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council.
Russia's Defense Ministry did not mention intercepting drones over Krasnodar Krai, reporting only two unmanned aerial vehicles downed over Kursk Oblast and two more over Belgorod Oblast.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
Earlier this week, Ukrainian drone attacks reportedly targeted energy facilities in Russia's Astrakhan and Volgograd oblasts overnight on Feb. 3, causing fires at the Lukoil oil refinery in Volgograd and at the Astrakhan Gas Processing Plant.
Natalia Kushnerska
