The Ukrainian armed forces confirmed on Friday that they had struck an oil refinery in the Afipsky district of the Krasnodar region, causing a fire in the plant's facilities, the BBC reported.
"A hit and a fire have been confirmed. The extent and details of the damage are being specified," the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced in an official statement. According to the Ukrainian side, the plant mainly produces gasoline, diesel and kerosene and plays a key role in supplying the Russian army.
The Russian operational headquarters in the Krasnodar region earlier reported that the fire was caused by falling debris from a drone. There were no reports of casualties.
The Afip refinery is one of the largest fuel producers in southern Russia. The strike comes amid a growing shortage of gasoline and diesel in the country. In recent weeks, queues have appeared at gas stations in a number of Russian regions, and wholesale prices have jumped sharply.
According to local observers, the cause is a combination of high fuel exports, seasonal growth in consumption and damage to infrastructure from Ukrainian attacks.
Moscow has already taken measures to limit fuel exports to stabilize the domestic market, but the ongoing attacks on oil refineries call into question the effectiveness of these actions.