The fifth fire at the same refinery this year—and Russia still calls it debris
Ukraine's military confirmed the strike, naming the Afipsky plant as a fuel supplier for the forces invading Ukraine.
On 25 August, Ukrainian drones targeted the Afipsky oil refinery in southern Russia, with monitoring Telegram channels Exilenova+ and Supernova+ reporting the incident. The refinery's fire was initially attributed to debris from the drones, as claimed by regional authorities. Ukraine's General Staff later confirmed the strike, adding that a gas processing plant in Astrakhan Oblast was also hit the night before.
Afipsky, one of the largest refineries in southern Russia, handles over 2% of the country's refining capacity, with 2024 throughput estimated at 7.2 million tons by Reuters. The refinery specializes in producing motor fuels for Russia, supplying the Russian army, and is frequently targeted by Ukrainian drones. This year alone, drones have struck the plant five times, with the most recent attack in the latest incident.
Ukraine's military has conducted over 70 drone strikes on Russian refineries since the beginning of 2026, disrupting oil revenues that fuel the ongoing war effort. Additionally, the attacks have led to the shutdown of several refineries, impacting the country's oil production and economy.
Written by urgent.news from Euromaidan Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
