Ukraine has claimed responsibility for a major overnight attack that left a huge Russian industrial plant burning. In the early hours of this morning, Wednesday, December 17, Ukrainian defence forces units used Deep Strike weapons to hit the infrastructure of the Slavyansk oil refinery in the town of Slavyansk-na-Kubani in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai, confirmed the Ukrainian General Staff.
Explosions followed by a significant fire were reported in the target area. Dramatic footage from the scene shows clouds of thick ash billowing into the night sky. The Telegram news channel Exilenova Plus published a resident’s video showing the oil refinery in flames.
The extent of the damage to the industrial plant building is now being clarified. The Operational Headquarters of Krasnodar Krai claim that a drone strike had damaged two high-voltage power lines, leaving more than 38,000 residents without electricity.
Approximately 13,000 people are still reported to be without power. Officials also reported that two individuals were injured by falling drone debris.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry claim that 31 Ukrainian drones were intercepted and destroyed over Krasnodar Krai overnight.
The Slavyansk oil refinery, which Ukraine has repeatedly targeted since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, processes crude oil and gas condensate, with an annual capacity of approximately 5.2 million tons, and plays a crucial role in supplying Russia’s occupying forces.
In addition, the General Staff also confirmed a strike on the territory of the “Nikolaevskaya” oil depot in Russia’s Rostov region. Inital reports indicate that a storage tank and the river vessel Captain Gibert were damaged.
Additionally, as part of efforts to diminish Russia’s offensive capabilities in occupied Luhansk, a field artillery ammunition depot belonging to a unit of the 101st Separate Brigade of Russian material and technical support was hit. The extent of the losses is still being assessed.
The General Staff also reported that during earlier operations on December 14, Ukrainian strike drones damaged the R. Graifer drilling platform in the Caspian Sea.
The stationary facility, which contains the operational and technical module used for processing and transferring extracted gas, sustained confirmed damage, leading to the shutdown of all 14 wells with a combined daily output of nearly 3,500 tons.
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