A drone attack overnight on June 1-2 triggered a fire at the Ilsky oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar Krai, Russian authorities said, marking the latest in a series of strikes on one of the country's key energy facilities, as per Pravda.
According to the Krasnodar Krai Operational Headquarters, the blaze broke out after drones targeted the refinery. Officials also reported that drone debris fell within the grounds of a residential building in the nearby city of Slavyansk-on-Kuban.
“According to preliminary information, there are no casualties. Emergency and special services are working at the scene,” the authorities said in a statement.
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The Ilsky refinery, one of southern Russia's largest oil-processing plants, has an annual processing capacity of 6.6 million tonnes of crude oil and plays a significant role in supplying petroleum products, including fuel for the Russian military.
Independent monitoring outlet ASTRA reported that the latest incident was at least the 16th attack on the facility since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The refinery was previously targeted in February, when a reported Ukrainian strike caused a major fire and temporarily disrupted operations.
Meanwhile, Russia's Defence Ministry claimed its air defence systems intercepted and destroyed 148 drones overnight across several regions, including Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, Rostov, Smolensk, Volgograd and Krasnodar Krai, as well as occupied Crimea and areas over the Black Sea and Sea of Azov.
The latest strike comes amid a broader decline in Russia's refining sector. Data from energy analytics firm OilX showed that Russian refineries processed 4.58 million barrels of oil per day in May, down 2.3% from April and 14.4% below levels recorded at the start of the year, reported Kyiv Post.
Reduced refinery output has also affected fuel markets. Supplies of AI-95 gasoline on commodity exchanges fell sharply in May, while wholesale gasoline prices have risen significantly since the beginning of 2025.
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