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Oct 02, 2023

Flames Engulf Russian Oil Refineries After Possible Drone Attacks

Dramatic footage appearing to show flames reaching into the sky at a Russian oil

Dramatic footage appearing to show flames reaching into the sky at a Russian oil refinery has surfaced online after Russian officials reported drone strikes on two oil facilities in the country's Krasnodar region.

An unmanned aerial vehicle attacked the Afipsky oil refinery in the southwestern Russian region overnight, causing a fuel oil distillation unit to catch fire, the area's governor, Veniamin Kondratyev, wrote on Telegram. A second incident was reported by Russian officials at the Ilsky refinery at around 4 a.m. local time on Wednesday.

A drone crashed into the facility, Russian officials said on social media, adding there had been no property damage, casualties or fires. The "fallen apparatus was destroyed by explosives for safety reasons" around 9.20 a.m. local time, Russian officials added.

In videos circulating online, reportedly showing the fire at the Afipsky facility, huge flames are visible. Several clips appear to show the blaze from different angles, although Newsweek could not independently verify this footage. The fire spread over an area of up to 100 square meters, but was extinguished, Kondratyev said.

Drone warfare has played an increasingly prominent role for both sides in the ongoing war in Ukraine. Drones have repeatedly struck Russian infrastructure and Moscow frequently deploys drones to target Ukrainian cities. Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine's internal ministry, previously told Newsweek that drones were the "super weapon here," adding: "This war is a war of drones."

On May 28, Russian officials in Krasnodar said "several unmanned aerial vehicles" attempted to approach the Ilsky oil refinery, but that all were "neutralized." Drone attacks were also reported by Russian officials on the Ilsky refinery on May 4 and May 5, causing fires at the facility.

On Tuesday morning, Russia's capital was struck by a series of drones for the first time since Moscow's forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Russia's defense ministry said Kyiv had launched a "terrorist attack by unmanned aerial vehicles on objects in the city of Moscow." Eight drones were used, and all were shot down, the defense ministry said. Kyiv has denied responsibility.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the capital's air defenses had worked "properly, satisfactorily, although there is work to be done." The drone attack led to sharp criticism from voices such as Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, who heads up the Wagner Group of mercenaries fighting for Moscow in Ukraine. Prigozhin, a vocal critic of the Russian defense ministry and military command, railed against the impact of the drones on "ordinary people."

Mark Katz, a professor at George Mason University's Schar School of Policy and Government, previously told Newsweek that if there are further drone attacks on Moscow, "then the Russian public will wonder: What about the effectiveness of how Russian forces are [doing] in Ukraine?"

At the beginning of May, the Russian government said drones had targeted the Kremlin in an attempt to assassinate Putin, pointing the finger at Kyiv. However, Ukraine denied involvement, and some Western analysts suggested it may have been a false-flag operation organized by Russia.

"The Russian side reserves the right to take retaliatory measures where and when it sees fit," the Kremlin said.

Newsweek has contacted the Ukrainian defense ministry for comment via email.