Ukraine's Navy and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) carried out a combined strike against the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in Russia's Rostov Oblast overnight on Dec. 19, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported.
Russian authorities and Telegram channels reported explosions and fire at the facility earlier the same day, connecting it to a Ukrainian drone attack.
The Novoshakhtinsk facility is "the only oil refinery operating" in the region, the General Staff said. It reportedly produces up to 7.5 million tons of oil products annually and specializes in fuel production.
The city of Novoshakhtinsk lies around 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the Russo-Ukrainian border and over 200 kilometers (120 miles) from the front line.
Initially, SBU drones attacked the facility to distract Russian air defenses, providing a "window" for Ukrainian-made missiles to strike the facility, an SBU source told the Kyiv Independent.
The strike resulted in a massive fire and caused significant damage, the source claimed.
Yuri Slyusar, the acting governor of Rostov Oblast, said the fire had been extinguished as of 6:45 a.m. local time. One person was reportedly injured in the region due to falling drone debris.
The fire also affected the refinery's ELOU-AVT-2.5 catalytic cracking unit, according to the General Staff.
The Kyiv Independent could not immediately verify all the claims.
Ukraine has previously targeted the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery with drone strikes. The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces claimed that a July attack on the refinery destroyed 1.5 million tons of oil and oil products worth $540 million.
The refinery partially shut down after an attack in March.
Ukrainian forces regularly target Russian oil depots in addition to attacks on weapons factories and military airfields. Fossil fuel exports are the primary drivers of the Russian economy and the main source of revenue for the Kremlin's war machine.
Abbey Fenbert
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