Ukrainian drones struck the Afipsky oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar region for the second time in a month, regional authorities said Thursday.
Debris from one of the drones fell on a refinery unit, sparking a fire that covered 30 square meters before being quickly extinguished, the regional crisis center said. No casualties were reported.
The Afipsky refinery, one of the largest in southern Russia, has a processing capacity of 9.1 million tons of crude a year and operates two primary processing units.
It was previously targeted by drones on Aug. 28, weeks after an earlier strike on Aug. 7 forced the shutdown of one unit. Drones also hit the nearby Krasnodar refinery, which is linked to Afipsky, on Aug. 30.
Ukraine has stepped up attacks on Russian oil infrastructure since early August, disabling at least five major refineries.
Reuters calculations show the strikes have cut Russian refining capacity by 17%, or about 1.1 million barrels per day.
Industry sources told the Kommersant business daily that gasoline output has fallen by roughly 10%.
More than 300 filling stations across Russia have closed, while many regions have introduced rationing of 10-20 liters per customer. Wholesale gasoline prices have jumped 40-50% since the start of the year.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said U.S. President Donald Trump had backed the strikes on Russian energy facilities, describing Washington’s stance as an “eye-for-an-eye” policy.
After meeting Zelensky, Trump told reporters Russia faced a fuel crisis and “major problems” with its economy.
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