Ukrainian drone attacks spark fire at major Russian refinery and damage Crimea bridges
Ukrainian drones hit the Afipsky oil refinery near Krasnodar and struck several bridges linking occupied Crimea to Russia, prompting injuries, fuel shortages and extensive Russian air-defence activity.
A Ukrainian drone strike caused a fire at the Afipsky oil refinery, one of Russia's largest processing facilities, located about 20 km southwest of Krasnodar. The attack, reported by the Krasnodar Krai operational headquarters, also scattered debris over residential areas, igniting an outbuilding, breaking windows and damaging a gas pipeline. The fire was extinguished by 7:00 a.m., and regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev said three people were injured, including two residents of an apartment building in Krasnodar.
Explosions were reported across occupied Crimea during the same night. Local Telegram channels described fires in Simferopol and Sevastopol and an apparent strike near Kozacha Bay. Additional damage was claimed on a road bridge at the entrance to Krasnoperekopsk from Armyansk, with reports that no intact bridges remained at the peninsula’s land entrances.
Russia's defence ministry said air-defence forces shot down 330 Ukrainian drones over multiple regions, including Bryansk, Kursk, Belgorod and Krasnodar Krai, as well as occupied Crimea. The drone threat led civil aviation authorities to restrict operations at several airports in the Tambov, Krasnodar, Sochi, Gelendzhik and Moscow regions.
Analysts note that the bridge attacks are part of a broader Ukrainian effort to disrupt Russian logistics linking Crimea with the southern front, aiming to complicate repairs and limit the movement of personnel, fuel and equipment. The refinery fire and bridge damage have contributed to reported gasoline shortages in at least 25 Russian oblasts and rising fuel prices in Crimea.
