Ukrainian drones struck the Ilsky oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar Krai overnight on Sept. 26. Ukraine's General Staff confirmed the strike, and the plant has halted crude processing.
Ukrainian drones struck the Ilsky oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar Krai overnight on Sept. 26 — one of the largest privately owned refineries in the region, processing roughly 6.6 million tons of crude oil a year. According to the company that operates the plant, it has halted processing since the strike.
The attack began around midnight, and Ukraine's General Staff officially confirmed the strike on the plant in the village of Ilskaya, Seversky District, at 10:30 a.m. local time, describing the operation as an exercise of Ukraine's inherent right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter. According to drone manufacturer Fire Point, the hits damaged three primary oil-processing units and the plant's tank farm. The refinery sits roughly 400–500 kilometers from Ukrainian-controlled territory.
Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces said the operation was carried out by the 1st Separate Center of the Unmanned Systems Forces together with the 414th Separate Unmanned Systems Brigade, "Magyar's Birds." Reports indicate the strike used the FP-1 attack drone made by Ukrainian company Fire Point — a long-range platform Ukraine regularly uses to hit refining and military infrastructure deep inside Russian territory.
The governor of Krasnodar Krai reported deaths and injuries from the night's drone attacks across the region, though he did not directly tie those casualties to the refinery strike specifically; drone debris also damaged a residential building, and fires broke out at two other enterprises in Seversky District. The independent Russian outlet ASTRA verified the fire at the plant using eyewitness footage. The Ilsky refinery is no stranger to strikes: it has been hit at least twice over the past year, most recently in August 2026, part of a broader campaign by Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces against the refining capacity that fuels Russia's war machine.
Every refinery taken offline means less fuel for Russian military vehicles and less revenue for a budget that finances the war against Ukraine. NGO Volunteers Support Ukraine continues to help people affected by the fighting in whatever way its available resources allow — news like this is a reminder that weakening the aggressor's capacity is also part of the road to peace.
