Ukrainian drones strike Ily oil refinery in Krasnodar Krai, Russia says three dead

Why it matters

The strike illustrates Ukraine's ability to hit Russian energy infrastructure far behind the front line and adds to a cumulative campaign that monitoring groups say has pushed Russian refining output to its lowest level since 2002. The timing — days after President Trump's reported request to halt such attacks — raises the political stakes of continued strikes on facilities tied to Russian military logistics.

What happened

In the night of September 25 to 26, drones attacked the Ily refinery in the village of Ily, Seversky district, Krasnodar Krai, about 50 km from Krasnodar. Ukraine's General Staff said the facility was hit by Ukrainian forces. The open-source project Fire Point, which tracks Ukrainian drone strikes, said the attack was carried out with FP-1 drones and that three primary processing units and the tank farm were hit, forcing the refinery to suspend operations. Krasnodar Krai Governor Veniamin Kondratyev confirmed the attack on the district, said drone debris damaged a residential home, and reported fires at two enterprises. He said three people were killed and two injured in the krai. Local residents reported explosions and air defense activity during the attack, which began close to midnight.

In a parallel overnight operation, drones struck the Azov Optical-Mechanical Plant in the city of Azov, Rostov Oblast, part of Russia's Tactical Missiles Corporation, which produces optical and electronic components for missiles and military equipment. Rostov Oblast Governor Yuriy Slyusar said five people were injured, that drone debris fell on residential buildings, industrial sites, a school, vehicles and a cultural institution, and that Russian air defenses downed more than 30 drones over the region. The Russian Defense Ministry said 645 drones were intercepted over Russian regions overnight.

How Ukrainian sources describe it

Ukrainian outlets present the strike as a successful military operation, citing the General Staff's claim of responsibility and Fire Point's details on the FP-1 drones and the damaged units. Coverage stresses the strategic value of the target — its 6.6 million-tonne annual capacity, six primary processing units, Transneft pipeline supply, and role in fuelling Russian forces — and places the attack in the context of a broader campaign. Some outlets tie it to parallel strikes in Rostov Oblast and the Black Sea and to President Zelensky's announcement of new "long-range" sanctions strikes. The refinery's repeated targeting — on August 8, July 10, June 2, February 17 and January 1, according to Astra, and across 2023, 2024 and 2025 — is cited as evidence of the persistence of the campaign.

Where reporting differs

Russian authorities and Ukrainian sources emphasized different aspects of the attack. Russian officials, including Governor Kondratyev, framed the consequences in civilian terms — drone debris hitting a home, fires at two enterprises, and three dead and two injured in Krasnodar Krai — while Ukrainian sources and Fire Point focused on the destruction of three primary processing units and the tank farm and the refinery's halt.

Accounts also diverged on what Russian air defenses achieved. The Russian Defense Ministry said 645 drones were intercepted over Russian regions overnight, and Governor Slyusar said more than 30 were downed over Rostov Oblast alone. Fire Point's account, by contrast, implies that drones reached the Ily refinery and damaged key infrastructure.

Background

The Ily refinery is located in the village of Ily, Seversky district, about 50 km from Krasnodar, and has six primary processing units supplied via Transneft pipelines. Governor Kondratyev confirmed the attack on Seversky district, said drone debris damaged a residential home, and reported fires at two enterprises. The Ily refinery had been struck previously on August 8, when local authorities said six people were injured, and according to Astra also on July 10, June 2, February 17 and January 1, and across 2023, 2024 and 2025. A parallel overnight drone strike hit the Azov Optical-Mechanical Plant in Rostov Oblast, part of Russia's Tactical Missiles Corporation, which produces optics and electronic components for missiles. The Russian Defense Ministry said it shot down 645 drones over Russian regions the same night, while Governor Slyusar said more than 30 drones were downed over Rostov Oblast.