Fire erupts at Russian oil refinery following UAV debris impact

A fire broke out early on the morning of August 7 at an oil refinery in the village of Afipskoye in Russia’s Krasnodar Region, following the reported fall of debris from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), according to local authorities.

The Kuban Operational Headquarters stated that debris from a UAV struck the refinery, igniting a technological unit used for the joint processing of gas and gas condensate. The fire was classified as a level 4 emergency—the highest level on the Russian emergency response scale, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

Emergency services swiftly responded to the incident and contained the fire, which spread over an area of approximately 250 square metres. The open flames were extinguished at 7:38 a.m. Moscow time (8:38 GMT+4), and the fire was fully put out by 8:21 a.m. (9:21 GMT+4).

Earlier in the day, regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev reported that a man had been injured in the town of Slavyansk-on-Kuban due to falling UAV debris. The blast shattered windows in a private residence and destroyed an adjacent farm building.

Authorities also reported that additional fires were sparked in the Krasnoarmeysky District as a result of more falling debris. In a separate incident, unmanned boats were intercepted and neutralized in the Black Sea near the port city of Novorossiysk.

By Sabina Mammadli