Ukraine carried out another drone strike on a Russian refinery late on Monday, targeting the 180,000-barrels-per-day Afipsky facility in Krasnodar, according to regional officials.
The attack ignited a fire at the refinery and damaged at least 10 homes in the nearby village of Afipsky, the region’s governor, Veniamin Kondratiev, said in a Telegram post on Tuesday. Debris from the drone also killed two people at a local railway station, he added.
The Afipsky refinery, owned by privately held ForteInvest, has been struck repeatedly in recent months as Ukraine intensifies a campaign aimed at disrupting Russian fuel supply both for domestic consumption and military use. The most recent prior attack occurred last month, reflecting a sustained effort to degrade refining capacity.
Russia has faced a worsening gasoline and diesel shortage since spring, when Ukraine escalated its drone campaign against refineries across the country, including targets deep inside Russian territory more than 1,000 miles from the Ukrainian border. The strikes have become a near-daily occurrence, contributing to supply constraints.
On Monday, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, who oversees energy policy and represents the country in OPEC+ talks, sought to downplay concerns by stating that some refineries have resumed operations after repairs. He suggested these restarts could soon boost domestic supply.
The fuel crisis has already led to rationing in multiple regions, fuel shortages at stations in major cities, and long queues at gas stations. Russia’s diesel and gasoil exports this month have fallen to multi-year lows, with Moscow extending restrictions on diesel shipments to address the shortfall. The reduction in Russian diesel exports compounds disruptions in the Middle East, tightening the global market for middle distillates.
