Drones operated by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) struck a substation powering the Novovelychkovskaya oil pumping station in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai on Feb. 20, effectively disrupting its operations, a security source told the Kyiv Independent.
According to the source, the station is one of the "key facilities for transporting oil in the Kuban region, supplying the Afipsky and Ilysky oil refineries." Russian authorities are currently assessing the damage, the source said.
On Feb. 20, several local Russian media outlets and Telegram channels reported explosions in the Krasnodar Krai region, claiming Russian air defense repelled the drone attack and there was no fire.
"This is the eighth successful SBU special operation since the beginning of the year targeting Russia's oil refining and pumping facilities. Each such explosion results in multimillion-dollar losses for Russia and complicates the provision of fuel to the Russian army," the source said.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
Ukraine routinely launches deep strikes against military and industrial facilities in Russia, primarily relying on domestically developed drones. Kyiv has particularly taken aim at Russia's fossil fuel infrastructure as part of its strategy to undermine funding for the Kremlin's war chest.
Earlier on Feb. 20, a source in Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) confirmed they were behind the detonations of goggles for first-person-view (FPV) drones used by Russian soldiers.
According to the source, HUR bought a large batch of FPV goggles for the operation and rigged them with explosives and a detonation mechanism.
Kateryna Denisova
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