Drones strike Russia’s Krasnodar Krai, fire breaks out at oil refinery
Drones attacked the city of Kropotkin in Krasnodar Krai, causing multiple explosions and a fire at a local oil refinery, Russian Telegram channels wrote early on March 19, citing eyewitness reports.
At 2:08 a.m. Kyiv time, at least three explosions could be heard in Kropotkin. Some sources claimed that drone debris fell on an oil storage facility, triggering a fire, while others suggest the blaze spread to the facility itself.
At 4:30 a.m., ASTRA published information from the Krasnodar Krai Operational Headquarters, confirming that a drone attack was repelled near Kavkazskaya stanitsa, close to Kropotkin. However, falling debris ignited a fire at the oil depot.
Official reports indicate:
- 20 square meters of the facility were engulfed in flames
- A pipeline between storage tanks was damaged
- Automatic fire suppression systems were activated
- The fire was classified as a level-4 emergency
- 105 firefighters and 45 emergency vehicles were deployed.
- 30 refinery workers were evacuated, but no injuries were reported
Kavkazskaya stanitsa is located near the Kropotkin oil pumping station, a key Caspian Pipeline Consortium hub. The facility was previously targeted on Feb. 17, leading to a temporary halt of operations.
This attack follows a March 14 drone strike near Tuapse, another city in Krasnodar Krai, where a major fire at an oil refinery was burning for several days.
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