Ukraine Strikes Russias Afipsky Oil Refinery

Ukrainian forces struck the Afipsky oil refinery in Krasnodar as Kyiv continues to target Russian energy infrastructure and retailer warehouses.⁠Veniamin Kondratyev, governor of the Krasnodar region in southern Russia, said in an Aug. 25 Telegram post that a fire broke out on the grounds of the oil refinery as a result of the attack.He added that two people were killed and another two were injured after drone debris fell on the Afipskaya railway station.The Afipsky plant is ​mostly ⁠export-focused and processed around 144,000 barrels of oil a day in ⁠2024.The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed in a Facebook post that it had struck the Afipsky plant.It also said that it had struck two gas separation units at the Astrakhan gas processing plant in the Astrakhan Oblast overnight on Aug. 24.Ukraine has hit the Afipsky plant several times in the past few months, as part of Kyiv’s wider campaign of targeting Russia’s oil refineries ​and other critical infrastructure in an attempt to undermine Moscow’s war efforts and ‌reduce revenue.Ukrainian forces have struck several processing plants across the country, including the Ryazan oil refinery—which is one of the country’s largest—as well as oil platforms including the Filanovsky oil platform in the Caspian Sea and oil depots in the Tver and Stavropol regions.Ukraine has also been intensifying its long-range drone attacks on warehouses belonging to online retailers, such as Wildberries, which is Russia’s largest online retailer and is often compared to Amazon.Ukraine has described the targets as hubs responsible for supplying Moscow’s military with components for weaponry such as drones—accusations that Moscow and the retailers deny.Online Retailer Ozon TargetedOn Aug. 24, Ozon, Russia’s second-largest online retailer, said Ukrainian drones struck four of its logistics hubs in southern Russia, bringing the total number of hubs hit in the past three days to six.Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Aug. 22 that Kyiv had opened “Pandora’s box” by targeting Russia’s economic sectors.“Well then, expect a response targeting your most sensitive economic ​sectors,” Putin told reporters.The Russian president this past week ordered the government to help rebuild warehouses damaged or destroyed in the drone attacks.Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting of the Council for Strategic Development and National Projects at the Kremlin in Moscow on Aug. 19, 2026. Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Pool via ReutersIn reaction to the spate of attacks, Putin issued a presidential decree on Aug. 24 authorizing the state to take control of Russian critical infrastructure if it is determined that they are insufficiently protected against drone attacks or other threats.It applies to facilities deemed critically important to the economic stability of Russia and its people, including the communications, fuel, transport, logistics, and energy sectors.First ‌Deputy ⁠Prime Minister Denis Manturov said the measures would not be used on a broad scale and are not a precursor to nationalization.The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in a July 6 report that Ukraine’s intermediate- and long-range drone campaigns into Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory and Russia “are causing significant effects on the Russian economy and impact Russia’s ability to sustain its frontline military efforts in Ukraine.”The ISW noted that Ukraine has intensified these campaigns, causing gasoline shortages in Russia and occupied Ukraine and affecting frontline logistics. Moscow has lost petrochemical export revenue that could have funded the war effort, it said.Reuters contributed to this report.