War

Ukrainian drones strike oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar Krai

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Ukrainian drones strike oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar Krai
Photo for illustrative purposes. The Ilsky oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar Krai. (Wikipedia)

Ukrainian drones struck an oil refinery in the town of Slavyansk-na-Kuban in Russia's Krasnodar Krai overnight on Jan. 26, Ukraine's military confirmed following reports on social media.

Photos and videos recorded by residents and posted on social media on the morning of appear to show a glowing night sky from the direction of the oil refinery.

The region's Operational Headquarters claimed that drone debris fell onto the territory of "two enterprises," without specifying the type of facility.

One person was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries as a result of the attack, the report said.

Ukraine's General Staff later confirmed a strike on the Slavyansk Eko refinery, a major facility with a yearly refining capacity of over four million tonnes of oil.

According to the military, "elements of the primary oil refining equipment were damaged."

The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the reports.

No information was immediately available on the extent of the damage caused.

Ukraine routinely launches deep strikes against military and industrial facilities in Russia and Russian-occupied territories, primarily relying on domestically developed drones.

Located across the Kerch Strait from occupied Crimea, Krasnodar Krai has been a regular target of Ukrainian attacks. On Jan. 22, Ukrainian drones struck the Tamanneftegaz oil terminal in the region, General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces confirmed.

The reported attack comes as Kyiv continues to escalate its campaign against Russian oil and gas infrastructure, a key source of Moscow's revenues helping to fuel its all-out invasion of Ukraine.

Reuters reported on Jan. 19, citing its calculations, that the Russian federal budget's tax revenues from oil and gas are expected to decrease by 46% this month compared to January 2025.

Oil and gas revenues account for roughly one-quarter of Russia's federal budget, playing a key role in sustaining Moscow's all-out war against Ukraine.

According to Reuters, revenue will likely drop to roughly 420 billion rubles ($5.42 billion), the lowest level since August 2020.


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Dmytro Basmat

Senior News Editor

Dmytro Basmat is a senior news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He previously worked in Canadian politics as a communications lead and spokesperson for a national political party, and as a communications assistant for a Canadian Member of Parliament. Basmat has a Master's degree in Political Management from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Governance from Toronto Metropolitan University.

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