Wave of Ukrainian drone strikes ignite fires at key Russian oil facilities
In the early hours of Friday, drone attacks targeted multiple oil refineries in Russia, specifically those in Afipsky, Ilsky, Krasnodar, and Astrakhan. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported that these recent strikes, stretching over the past two nights, successfully hit significant targets within Russian territory. The assaults involved oil refineries and other facilities.
On the night of 20 June, units from the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) and the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) struck a Russian fuel and lubricants convoy in the Tambov region and the Enem oil depot in the Republic of Adygea. At least one storage tank was reportedly damaged in the Tambov region incident. Additionally, five explosions were confirmed near the Adygea oil depot, which subsequently led to a fire.
Drone assaults continued into the night of 21 June, targeting Afipsky, Ilsky, Krasnodar, and Astrakhan oil refineries. Further attacks were carried out on radar stations and reconnaissance centres in the Bryansk region and in the temporarily occupied Crimea. Details regarding the specific impact of these strikes are still being clarified.
In another attack, storage sites and preparation facilities for Shahed-136 drones in Krasnodar Krai were struck, hitting training centres, command points, and communication hubs. The strike resulted in a series of explosions followed by a fire and subsequent detonations.
"The Defence Forces continue to take all necessary measures to undermine the military-economic potential of the Russian occupiers and to put an end to Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine," the General Staff underscored.
Concurrently, the Russian Ministry of Defence claimed that on that same night, the Russian air defence systems reportedly "destroyed" 70 UAVs over Crimea and the Black Sea, another 43 drones over Krasnodar Krai, and a singular UAV over the Volgograd region. They also reported the alleged "neutralisation" of six maritime drones.
On the night of 18 June, two oil depots in Russia were targeted by drone strikes. These included oil terminals in the city of Azov, Rostov region, and another in Krasnodar Krai.