Ukraine's drone strikes cripple Russian oil infrastructure amid elections
Three refineries in the Samara region and a fourth in the Krasnodar Krai. Ukraine is surgically destroying Russia's oil infrastructure. The Kremlin accuses Kyiv of "terrorist attacks" aimed at disrupting the three-day presidential elections taking place in Russia.
In the Slavian refinery in Krasnodar Krai, a fire broke out overnight from Saturday to Sunday as a result of an attack by Ukrainian drones - Reuters reported early in the morning, citing local authorities.
According to a message published on Telegram, the drones were "neutralized", but the fall of one of them caused a fire. One person, a refinery worker, died. The cause of death was reported as a heart attack.
"Terrorist attacks"
Russia accuses Ukraine of "terrorist attacks" aimed at disrupting the three-day presidential elections taking place in Russia.
However, pinpoint strikes on Russian oil infrastructure have been ongoing for months. Since the beginning of the year, Ukrainian forces have carried out dozens of successful strikes on important refineries, oil ports, and fuel depots.
Flames and black columns of smoke cutting through the sky are visual proof that the war can reach much deeper into Russian territory, and critical infrastructure remains within the range of Ukrainian drones.
Ukraine exposes Russian weaknesses. A precise series of drone attacks on refineries and fuel depots operating in Russia is a hit on the country's fuel security, destroying the invaders' logistical backbone, but also a blow to Russian oil interests.
Season of fires
Last night, SBU strike drones hit three Rosneft oil refineries in the Samara region. Together, these facilities process about 27.6 million tonnes (approximately 202.9 million barrels) of oil annually, which accounts for almost 10 percent of the total oil refining in the Russian Federation.
The strikes took place at the facilities in Syzran, causing a fire over an area of about 500 square metres. A refinery in Novokuibyshevsk was also attacked.
Sources in the Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) reported on Friday that Ukrainian drones successfully attacked a refinery in the Moscow-adjacent Kaluga Oblast. On Wednesday, the targets were the Oil Products Plants in Novoshakhtinsk in the Rostov Oblast, as well as refineries in Ryazan, Kstovo in the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, and Kirishi in the Leningrad Oblast.
On the night from 11 March to 12 March, an explosion occurred at the Lukoil refinery in Kstovo, which has the capacity for processing 17 million tonnes (about 124.7 million barrels) of oil annually. The production was suspended. This is undoubtedly a success for the Ukrainian military, as these facilities are important for the fuel supply of the Moscow region, which accounts for about 30 percent of the national gasoline consumption.
