Ukrainian drones reportedly strike Russia's Ilsky Oil Refinery in Krasnodar Krai, media reports
Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
Ukrainian drones reportedly struck a major oil refinery in the Russian region of Krasnodar Krai overnight on Sept. 7, Russian Telegram channels reported.
Russian Telegram media channel Exilenova+, citing resident accounts, reported a large blaze emanating from the Ilsky Oil Refinery, around 2:15 a.m.
Photos and videos circulating on social media appeared to show a large fire rising from the refinery.
Officials in the region claimed that a technological workshop had caught fire at the refinery, adding that no casualties had been reported.
The Kyiv Independent cannot immediately verify the reports nor claims made by Russian officials.
Ukraine's military has not yet commented on the reported attack.
Ukraine has intensified long-range strikes against Russian energy facilities, targeting refineries and depots to cut into Moscow's war funding.
Located roughly 500 kilometers (311 miles) from Ukrainian-controlled territory, the refinery is among the largest in southern Russia, producing over 6 million tons of fuel annually.
Kyiv has previously struck the Ilsky Oil Refinery on multiple occasions — most recently on July 7 when a drone struck one of the facility's technological workshops, a source in Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) told the Kyiv Independent.
Krasnodar Krai, a strategic region along Russia's Black Sea coast, has increasingly come under Ukrainian drone attacks as Kyiv extends the range of its strikes deep into Russian territory.
In August alone, Ukraine struck at least 12 refineries, shutting down facilities representing over 17% of national processing capacity, or 1.1 million barrels per day.
