In a new long-range offensive, Ukraine has once again targeted Russian energy infrastructure. The General Staff confirmed on Sunday that Ukrainian forces attacked the Ilsky oil refinery in Krasnodar Krai and the control station for the 8-N oil pipeline in the village of Naitopovichi, Bryansk Oblast.
"Both facilities are involved in supplying fuel to Russian troops invading Ukraine," kyiv reported. The operation was carried out overnight and included joint actions by the Missile and Artillery Forces, unmanned systems units, and other branches of the Armed Forces.
According to official information, the"8-N" control station suffered several impacts that caused fires near its pumping station and tank farm. This is a key part of the"Steel Horse" pipeline complex, with a pumping capacity of 10.5 million tons.
For the Ukrainians, it is"strategically important" because it not only supplies the Russian army, but also transports products from the Belarusian refineries of Mozyr and Novopolotsk to Russian territory, explained Robert"Madyar" Brovdi, a drone warfare commander.
At the same time, explosions and a major fire were reported at the Ilsky refinery, one of the largest in southern Russia, which processes more than 6 million tons of oil per year. The attack was carried out by Special Operations Forces, although the extent of the damage is still being assessed.
Images of the fire first circulated on Russian social media before official confirmation. Videos and photographs showed a massive blaze at the Krasnodar plant. Initially, local authorities downplayed the incident, referring to a"burning technology workshop" and clarifying that no casualties were reported.
kyiv has been intensifying its offensive against Russian energy facilities in what it seeks to deal a blow to Moscow's economy and its ability to finance the war. In August alone, Ukraine attacked at least 12 refineries, shutting down facilities that represent more than 17% of the country's processing capacity, or about 1.1 million barrels per day.
This isn't the first time the Ilsky refinery has been targeted: it was previously attacked on July 7, when a drone struck one of its technology workshops, according to Ukrainian military intelligence sources.
Krasnodar Krai, a strategic region on Russia's Black Sea coast, has become one of the main targets for Ukrainian drones. With each new attack, Ukraine makes its strategy clear: to take the war ever deeper into the heart of Russian territory, targeting the resources that sustain the battlefront.
New wave of Russian bombings
Amid the Ukrainian attacks, Putin's troops carried out the largest bombardment of Ukrainian territory since the start of the invasion early Sunday morning.
Zelensky announced that the airstrike left at least four dead and 44 injured. The president announced this after a telephone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron.
According to emergency authorities and local officials in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital was the hardest hit city: two people, including a woman and a baby, were killed and twenty were injured. For the first time, missiles and drones hit the government headquarters in Kyiv.
The Russian attack also affected other cities such as Odessa, Zaporizhia, Kremenchuk, Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk and Sumi. The bombing hit the south, southeast, center, east and northeast of the country, leaving key areas without radar or radio communication during the attacks.
