Drone strike triggers fire at oil refinery in southern Russia PHOTO / VIDEO

A drone attack triggered a fire at an oil refinery in the settlement of Afipsky in Russia’s Krasnodar region, local authorities said on Wednesday, June 10, adding that no casualties were initially reported at the site.

According to the regional operational headquarters, debris from unmanned aerial vehicles fell in Afipsky, igniting a blaze on the refinery’s premises and causing damage in nearby residential areas.

“Debris from unmanned aerial vehicles fell in the settlement of Afipsky. As a result, a fire broke out on the territory of the oil refinery. UAV debris was also found at three addresses in the private residential sector. In one household, an outbuilding caught fire. In another house, the blast wave shattered the windows. A gas pipeline was damaged. Preliminary reports indicate there are no fatalities or injuries. (...) 34 personnel and 12 units of equipment, including those from the Russian Emergencies Ministry, were involved in eliminating the emergency,” the headquarters said.

In the regional capital, Krasnodar, debris from a drone struck an apartment building, causing a fire and injuring two people, according to preliminary information. Emergency services were deployed to the scene.

Open-source analyst ASTRA said the damaged residential building is located at 61 Moskovskaya Street in Krasnodar’s central district. The site lies within two kilometres of several military-related facilities, including the Kaskad instrument-making plant and JSC Saturn, while the Krasnodar-Central military airfield is around three kilometres away.

The Seversky district was also affected, with several private homes sustaining damage, and one person was reported injured.

By Tamilla Hasanova