Ukrainian Drones Strike Ilsky, Largest Refinery in Southern Russia

On the night of November 19, Magyar Birds of the Unmanned Systems Forces of Ukraine drones struck the Ilsky oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai, one of the largest fuel hubs in southern Russia.

The refinery is listed as a critical facility for the Russian economy. It processes over 6 million tons of oil annually and supplies the region with fuel and refined products, according to Robert “Madyar” Brovdi, commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, on his Telegram channel.

Brovdi added that Ilsky is regularly targeted by Ukrainian long-range drones, highlighting gaps in Russian air defense in the region.

“Over the past year, about two dozen Russian facilities have been damaged to varying degrees — from minor damage to complete shutdown,” Brovdi noted.

The repeated attacks on refineries are putting strategic pressure on Russian logistics: each successful strike increases the burden on other plants and reduces overall fuel supplies.

Fuel products from the affected refineries no longer reach the market in expected volumes, causing shortages of gasoline and diesel in some regions and driving up logistics costs.

Russian security forces are forced to divert resources to protect infrastructure, limiting their capacity to maintain other areas of defense.
The 1st Center of the USF (formerly the 14th Regiment), which specializes in long-range operations deep inside Russian territory, executed the strike on the Ilsky refinery.

Russia is attempting to offset losses by redirecting raw materials and “patching” production lines, but repair efforts are lagging behind the pace of Ukrainian strikes.

“The campaign against Russian fuel infrastructure will continue until its real production capacity is reduced and the military support of occupation forces is disrupted,” the Ukrainian Defense Forces emphasized.

Recently, Ukrainian drones targeted refineries in the Bryansk region and Krasnodar Krai, including the Ilsky oil refinery.