Russian refinery halts operations amid attacks

Ukrainian drone attacks on Sunday on Southern Russia lead to a temporary halt in operations at a small independent refinery in Krasnodar, Bloomberg reported on Sunday.

Six drones targeted the Slavyansk facility overnight, resulting in no casualties, as confirmed by a statement from the local administration.

The refinery, managed by Slavyansk-Eko, paused operations for inspections. However, uncertainty looms over the timeline for resuming operations, according to RBC’s report, citing the refinery’s security head.

Despite the incident, Ukraine has not issued any official statements.

This is not the first instance of the refinery being targeted. Similar drone attacks occurred in March and April. The facility, processing 4 million tons of crude annually, roughly 80,000 barrels per day, remains a repeated target.

Russia’s defense ministry reported intercepting 61 Ukrainian drones and nine ATACMS missiles overnight, with a focus on the Krasnodar region.

The United States has voiced criticism against Ukraine’s strikes on Russian refineries, expressing concerns about potential impacts on crude oil prices. They urged Kyiv to prioritise military targets instead.

“Those attacks could have a knock-on effect in terms of the global energy situation,” stated US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at a Senate committee hearing last week. “Ukraine is better served in going after tactical and operational targets that can directly influence the current fight,” he added.