Drone Strike Sets Ilsky Oil Refinery in Russia Ablaze

In Russia, the Ilsky oil refinery in the Krasnodar region is on fire after being hit by Ukrainian drones.

The Exilenova+ Telegram channel shared a video showing the fire at the refinery.

Eyewitnesses started reporting the strike on social media after 3 a.m. on June 2, describing numerous explosions in the area.

Videos and photos from local residents show a large fire and thick plumes of smoke rising from the oil refinery. The fire is visible from nearby settlements, over 10 kilometers away.

The Krasnodar regional emergency headquarters confirmed that a drone attack caused the fire at the Ilsky oil refinery.

Ilsky Oil Refinery

The Ilsky Oil Refinery (LLC KNGK-INPZ) is one of the largest private oil processing enterprises in the region. The refinery plays an important role in supplying fuel both to the domestic market and for export. The plant is located in the village of Ilskaya, Seversky District, about 30 km from Krasnodar.

The facility specializes in crude oil processing and the production of petroleum products, including diesel fuel, gasoline, fuel oil, and bitumen. Its annual processing capacity is approximately 6.6 million tonnes of crude oil.

The oil refinery is also considered an important part of the fuel supply chain for Russia’s military units in the Southern Military District and for Russian-controlled territories of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Defense Forces have targeted the refinery multiple times. Today’s attack is at least the 16th since the start of the full-scale invasion.

One of the strikes occurred on the night of February 17, causing a fire in a fuel storage tank on the refinery’s premises.

Strikes on other oil facilities

The day before that, the Volgograd Oil Refinery, owned by Lukoil, suspended operations following an attack by Ukrainian drones.

During the May 30 attack, drones of the Security Service of Ukraine destroyed one of the storage tanks at a Russian oil depot in Armavir, Krasnodar Krai.