Ukrainian forces struck Russia’s Ilsky oil refinery overnight on Sept. 26 in Krasnodar Krai, igniting a fire at one of southern Russia’s largest fuel plants as Kyiv and Moscow traded large-scale drone attacks.
Ukraine’s General Staff said the hit was carried out about 400 kilometers from the launch point by units including the 1st Separate Center of the Unmanned Systems Forces and the 414th Unmanned Systems Brigade, known as “Madyar’s Birds.” Krasnodar Governor Veniamin Kondratiev confirmed drones struck the Seversky district, reporting fatalities, one serious injury, residential damage from debris, and fires at two enterprises he did not name.
Ilsky oil refinery hit sparks fire in Seversky district
Independent Russian outlet ASTRA said eyewitness footage showed one of the blazes at the Ilsky plant, which processes nearly 6.6 million tons of fuel a year and sits roughly 500 kilometers from Ukrainian-controlled territory. Ukraine confirmed the strike later Saturday morning, while Russian regional authorities stopped short of naming the facilities publicly.
The plant has been a recurring target. ASTRA counted at least 16 prior hits by June, and Ukraine’s General Staff previously confirmed strikes that sparked fires on June 2 and Aug. 8. No immediate halt to operations was reported after the latest attack.
Zelenskyy cites wider strikes in Rostov and Black Sea
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian long-range systems also struck a plant in Russia’s Rostov region that supplies missile and artillery components, plus a Pantsir-S2 air-defense system, and logged results against logistics supporting the war and targets in the Black Sea. He thanked the Security Service of Ukraine, Defense Forces, and Navy for the overnight operations.
Russia claims hundreds of drones downed as Kyiv reports wave
Russia’s Defense Ministry said it destroyed 645 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones overnight across more than a dozen regions, Crimea, and the Black and Azov seas. Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched 173 drones, including more than 50 jet-powered models, and that air defenses downed 134. Overnight Russian drones also caused fires and injuries around Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia, local officials said.
Energy targets remain central to Ukraine’s deep-strike campaign
Kyiv has increasingly aimed at Russian refineries and energy infrastructure to squeeze fuel for Moscow’s forces and cut revenues tied to the war. Krasnodar’s Black Sea coast has become a frequent deep-strike zone as Ukraine extends drone range. With front-line advances slowed after more than four years of full-scale fighting, both sides are leaning harder on aerial and long-range attacks far from the trenches.
