Ukrainian drones strike Afipsky Oil Refinery in Russia's Krasnodar Krai
Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
Ukrainian drones struck the Afipsky Oil Refinery in southwestern Russia overnight on Sept. 26, Russian authorities reported.
Krasnodar Krai's regional operational headquarters reported that Ukrainian drones debris fell on one of the refinery’s units amid a wider drone attack on the region. The Russian officials claimed that a fire spanning 30 square meters (323 square feet) was extinguished by crews.
No casualties or infrastructure damage were sustained in the attack, officials claimed.
The Kyiv Independent cannot verify claims made by Russian officials. Ukraine's military has not yet commented on the reported attack.
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.
The refinery, located roughly 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the front line, serves as a strategic logistics hub for diesel fuel and aviation kerosene used by Russian troops.
The refinery is also key to Russia's economic might, processing 6.25 million tons of oil annually, or 2.1% of Russia's entire oil refining output.
The refinery has been targeted multiple times since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.
The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said on Aug. 7 that a successful strike on the Afipsky Oil Refinery damaged a technical unit of the refinery.
According to the Financial Times, 16 of Russia's 38 oil refineries have been struck by Ukrainian drones since August 2025. The disruptions have limited Russia's refining capacity by over 1 million barrels per day, the research group Energy Aspects told FT, dropping exports to below pre-war levels.
Ukraine routinely launches deep strikes against military and industrial facilities in Russia, primarily relying on domestically developed drones.
