Ukraine has been systematically targeting Russian energy infrastructure in an attempt to disrupt Russia’s economy and ability to fund its military efforts.
Lying some 260 kilometers (161 miles) northwest of the Russian city of Sochi, the Ilsky refinery is one of the main fuel producers in southern Russia, with a capacity to refine 6.6 million tonnes of crude a year, or 132,000 barrels per day.
Andrei Doroshevsky, the head of the local district, said on the Telegram messaging app that the fire had been put out.
“Tonight, the civilian infrastructure of our region was subjected to a massive attack by the criminal Kyiv regime,” he said, adding that a drone had damaged administrative buildings at the Ilsky oil refinery.
Drones had already struck the plant in February.
Separately, regional authorities said on Friday that open fires were doused at oil depots in the Tambov and Rostov regions.
