Drones Strike Russian Oil Refinery in Slavyansk-on-Kuban

On the night of December 17, attack drones targeted a Russian oil refinery in Slavyansk-on-Kuban, in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai.

Several Telegram channels, including Supernova+, shared video footage of the attack.

Local authorities in the region also confirmed the overnight drone attack.

Footage shared online by eyewitnesses captures the moment of impact, with the sound of explosions heard after the drone struck its target.

At around 01:23 a.m., posts started appearing on public channels reporting that, starting at 00:45 a.m., explosions were being heard regularly in the Slavyansk district of Russia’s Krasnodar Krai.

Meanwhile, the released footage shows a bright glow and flames, likely from a large-scale fire at the oil refinery in Slavyansk-on-Kuban.

Later in the morning, Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed that 31 Ukrainian drones had allegedly been shot down over the territory of Krasnodar Krai.

Oil Refinery

The Russian Slavyansk ECO group owns the oil refinery that has a nominal processing capacity of approximately 5.2 million tonnes of crude oil per year. However, actual processing volumes in recent years have been somewhat lower.

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, this refinery has repeatedly been targeted by drone strikes. These attacks have caused fires and damage to technical equipment, affecting its operations.