Satellite image confirm successful drone strike on Russian oil refinery

The strike may have destroyed or damaged a significant number of the refinery’s pipe racks and fuel storage tanks. A plume of smoke from the facility stretched an estimated 15-18 kilometers (9-11 miles) from the site of the fire, which was believed to still be burning.

The Slavyansk-on-Kuban refinery is one of the five largest oil refineries in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai. During the fuel crisis in occupied Crimea, it became one of the key facilities expected to offset fuel shortages on the occupied peninsula. The refinery processes enough crude oil annually to fill about 70 million standard 200-liter barrels.

Earlier, Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed a strike on the Slavyansky refinery in Slavyansk-on-Kuban, followed by a fire at the facility.

“The extent of the damage and the results of the strike are still being assessed,” the General Staff said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also confirmed the attack on the Slavyansk refinery.

Eyewitnesses said at least several petroleum storage tanks caught fire at the refinery.

NASA’s FIRMS satellite monitoring system also detected fire hotspots at the refinery. In addition, according to OSINT communities, the blaze may have spread to the Slavyansk oil stabilization and gas processing unit operated by RN-Krasnodarneftegaz LLC.