Ukrainian drones struck the Afipsky refinery in Krasnodar region and a plant in Rostov region overnight — two people were killed at Afipsky as the refinery caught fire once again.
Overnight into August 25, Ukraine's defense forces struck Russian oil-refining infrastructure once again — this time hitting the Afipsky oil refinery in Krasnodar region and a plant in Rostov region. It is the latest episode in a campaign Ukraine has been running against Russia's refining capacity for months now.
According to Krasnodar region Governor Veniamin Kondratyev, debris from a downed drone fell on the Afipskaya railway station, killing two people and injuring two others. A fire broke out at the refinery itself and firefighters worked to bring it under control. At least ten private homes in the settlement of Afipsky were also damaged, one of them catching fire.
The same day brought reports of damage at a refinery in Rostov region as well, which temporarily suspended oil processing. Afipsky is one of the largest oil refineries in southern Russia, with an annual capacity of roughly 6.25 million tons of crude — more than 2% of the country's total refining volume.
Ukraine's summer campaign against Russian refineries has already pushed the country's oil-processing volumes to multi-year lows, with several regions reporting fuel shortages and rationing. In response, Moscow temporarily banned most exports of diesel, gasoline and jet fuel to protect the domestic market. Russia's Defense Ministry said its air defenses shot down roughly 150 drones overnight across the country and occupied Crimea.
Strikes on refining infrastructure are, above all, about Russia's ability to keep fueling its own war machine. Volunteers Support Ukraine, meanwhile, keeps working on a different front — the humanitarian one — helping civilians affected by the war within the resources it has available.
