Key facts
- A fire was reported at the Pavlovskaya oil depot in Russia's Krasnodar Krai on September 28.
- The incident occurred amid a large-scale drone attack on the region.
- Ukrainian forces have intensified long-range attacks against Russian oil infrastructure.
- Ukraine's General Staff stated that repeated long-range strikes had knocked out 45% of Russia's total oil refining capacity.
A fire was reported at the Pavlovskaya oil depot in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai overnight on September 28, amid a large-scale drone attack on the region, according to local reports. Ukrainian Telegram channel Exilenova+ published footage of a large fire and identified the facility as the Pavlovskaya oil depot. The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the footage or the reported target.
An oil depot in Novotitarovskaya was reportedly hit in a drone attack on September 24. During that attack, Exilenova+ reported that the facility caught fire, while Russian authorities acknowledged a fire at an unidentified facility in the Dinsky district of Krasnodar Krai. No injuries were reported at the time. Ukraine did not comment on the September 24 attack.
The latest reported strike also comes two days after Ukrainian forces struck the Ilsky oil refinery elsewhere in Krasnodar Krai, sparking a fire at the facility. Ukraine's General Staff later confirmed the September 26 strike, while Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces said the operation involved the 1st Separate Center of the Unmanned Systems Forces and the 414th Unmanned Systems Brigade, known as "Madyar's Birds."
Ukraine has intensified “long-range sanctions”, or long-range attacks against Russian oil infrastructure, targeting refineries, depots, and other facilities that Kyiv says support Moscow's war effort, in an effort to disrupt fuel supplies and reduce energy revenues. Ukraine's General Staff said on September 21 that repeated long-range strikes had knocked out 45% of Russia's total oil refining capacity. The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify that figure.