Ukraine Strikes Two Russian Oil Refineries Overnight

A fire at the Ilsky oil refinery in Krasnodar region in southern Russia has been extinguished, local authorities announced on Saturday, stating that it was caused by debris from a Ukrainian drone.

The Ukrainian general staff noted that the military struck both the Ilsky and Syzran oil refineries overnight, causing fires at both sites. The Syzran refinery is located in the Samara region further north. The region's governor, Vyacheslav Fedorishchev, specified that the drones targeted an industrial facility in the area without identifying it.

The attacks are part of Ukraine's strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, which, according to Kyiv, are an effort to deprive Russia of the resources needed to finance its military.

The Ilsky refinery has a designed capacity of over 6 million metric tons of crude oil per year, while the Syzran refinery has a processing capacity of 8.5 million metric tons per year.

The Russian ministry of defense responded by stating that its air defense forces destroyed 397 Ukrainian drones overnight over several regions.

Reuters was unable to independently verify reports from either side of the conflict.

(Reuters, Max)