Russian Refinery Targeted by Suspected Ukrainian Drones, Four Power Plants Damaged in Attacks

A Russian oil refinery located in Slavyansk-on-Kuban, part of the southern region of Krasnodar, was targeted by suspected Ukrainian drones on Saturday morning, according to local officials led by regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev. He attributed the assault, which involved approximately 10 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), to Kyiv’s actions during early hours of that day. Russian state media outlet TASS reported Eduard Trudnev, security director for Slavyansk ECO Group – operator of the refinery in question – as saying work at the plant had been “partially suspended” due to damage caused by the drones; one fire was also started during the incident, though officials said no casualties resulted from it.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s largest private energy company DTEK reported that four thermal power plants across multiple regions suffered significant damages in Russian attacks overnight – this after Moscow-led forces launched 66 drone strikes against Krasnodar on Saturday morning, claims that have since been verified by the nation’s defence ministry. Two men also required medical attention following a missile strike at energy facilities in Dnipropetrovsk and Lviv regions; one suffered from concussion while the other remains unidentified as of press time.
In response to these developments, Mykola Oleshchuk – Commander of Ukraine’s Air Force – claimed that Russian forces had fired a total 34 missiles across air-, land- and sea-based launch platforms over night; according to officials within Kremlin’s Defence Ministry though all attempts by the adversaries were thwarted, with twenty one intercepted.
On Friday evening, patients at two hospitals in Kyiv – including a children’s hospital – had been evacuated following claims made by Belarusian intelligence that Ukrainian soldiers were being sheltered within their walls; fears of an imminent attack on the facilities subsequently led to authorities urgently moving affected individuals and equipment from both medical centres.
In response, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko called these allegations “an absolute lie” and a provocation intended for justifying strikes against critical infrastructure in the Ukrainian capital; according to statements issued by officials at city level they remain yet to ascertain whether any of those evacuated have experienced complications as a result.
The Security Service (SBU) also denounced these claims, describing them as “a manifestation” of information and psychological special operations being utilized for Russia’s benefit. CNN reporters Radina Gigova and Yulia Kesaieva contributed to this article.