(LABINSK, KRASNODAR REGION, RUSSIA) – Ukrainian drones struck a fuel storage facility near the city of Labinsk in Russia’s Krasnodar region, causing a large fire at the oil depot, according to video footage and preliminary reports.
The site stores fuel products rather than refining crude oil. Early images circulating online showed flames and thick smoke rising from several storage tanks after the strike.
Details about the number of drones used in the attack have not yet been confirmed. Observers said the facility appeared to have been hit multiple times, suggesting a coordinated strike.
Satellite imagery and further assessments are expected to provide additional information on the extent of the damage and the number of storage tanks affected.
The Labinsk site is a relatively small fuel depot. Satellite images indicate it contains four large storage tanks along with approximately twenty two smaller tanks. Additional brown coloured tanks located nearby may be inactive or unused.
Despite its modest size, analysts say fuel storage facilities remain significant targets because they support the logistics network that supplies Russian military operations.
Military observers also note that smaller depots are often more vulnerable because they rarely have dedicated air defence systems protecting them.
The strike also highlights the growing range of Ukrainian drone operations. The Labinsk depot lies roughly 500 kilometres from the front lines of the war.
Analysts say such long distance attacks can force Russia to spread its air defence systems across a wider area, making it more difficult to protect critical infrastructure.
The attack follows another reported Ukrainian strike on Russian oil infrastructure the previous day, when the Afpsky refinery was hit elsewhere in the same Russian region.
