Vehicles burned during a raid in the Belgorod region, Russia on December 30, 2023 (Photo: Reuters).
A Ukrainian drone attacked two oil refineries in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region on January 9, causing a major fire at the Ilsky refinery, a Ukrainian source told Reuters . The attack was believed to be part of an operation by Ukraine’s security service (SBU).
Earlier, regional authorities in Russia said a fire broke out at the Ilsky oil refinery and was extinguished after about two hours. The statement did not provide details on the cause of the fire or the impact on the refinery's output.
The attack hit the refinery's main processing area, an unnamed Ukrainian source said.
The source added that SBU drones also attacked the nearby Afipsky oil refinery, but the consequences of this attack have not yet been determined.
Ukraine has in recent weeks carried out a series of drone attacks on Russian oil and gas facilities, located hundreds of kilometers from Ukrainian-controlled territory.
The Ilsky refinery is one of the main fuel producers in southern Russia, with a refining capacity of 6.6 million tonnes of crude oil per year. Meanwhile, the Afipsky refinery can process 6 million tonnes of oil per year.
The Russian Defense Ministry said on February 9 that Russian air defense forces shot down 19 Ukrainian drones over the Kursk, Bryansk, Oryol, Krasnodar and Black Sea regions overnight.
"An attempt by the Kiev authorities to carry out attacks using 19 drones on Russian territory was thwarted. Air defense means intercepted and destroyed two drones over the Kursk region, five over the Bryansk region, four over the Oryol region, two over the Krasnodar region and six over the Black Sea," the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed.
Bryansk region governor Alexander Bogomaz said there were no casualties or damage on the ground.
Oryol region Governor Andrey Klychkov said the drones targeted fuel and energy supply facilities and there were no casualties following the attacks.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov last month alleged that attacks on Russian territory and Russian civilian facilities were carried out with Western-made weapons.
Meanwhile, Rodion Miroshnik, a special envoy of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said Ukraine was trying to compensate for its lackluster progress on the battlefield by launching attacks in the Belgorod region on the Russian border.
President Vladimir Putin has warned that Russia will step up attacks on military targets in Ukraine following Kiev's attacks on border cities. President Putin said Ukraine's attacks were aimed at destabilizing Russia and threatening its own people.
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