On the night of Thursday, August 28, the Drone Forces, in coordination with other components of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, struck the Kuybyshev and Afipsky oil refineries in Russia’s Samara region and Krasnodar Krai. This was reported on Telegram by the commander of the Drone Forces, Robert Brovdi (“Madyar”).
According to the commander, the Russian oil refining sector lost an additional 4.7% of its capacity that night, and a total of 21% over the past two weeks.
The 14th Regiment of the Drone Forces, working with the Special Operations Forces, struck the Kuybyshev refinery in Samara, which produces 7 million tons of oil per year, representing 2.5% of Russia’s total output. The Afipsky refinery in Krasnodar Krai was targeted by the 14th Regiment along with the special forces of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense. That refinery produces 6.25 million tons of oil per year, or 2.2% of total output.
Initially, local residents reported an attack on the Novokuybyshev refinery in Samara region, but it was later clarified that the Kuybyshev refinery in Samara was hit.
The governor of Samara region stated that “the region experienced an attack by enemy drones. Air defense and emergency services are operating.” He also noted that the Samara airport has imposed temporary restrictions on aircraft arrivals and departures and that mobile internet access has been restricted for public safety.
The Kuybyshev railway reported that drones targeted the Kryazh railway station in Samara region, resulting in the cancellation of three trains and delays for ten others. The Krasnodar Krai operational headquarters confirmed the strike on the Afipsky refinery.
“At the Afipsky refinery in Seversky district, one installation caught fire due to falling debris. Twenty-one personnel and eight units of equipment are involved in extinguishing a 20-square-meter fire,” the report said.
According to the BBC, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported shooting down 102 Ukrainian drones over areas including the Black and Azov Seas, and the regions of Rostov, Samara, Voronezh, Volgograd, and Krasnodar Krai.
Despite the Russian military claiming two drones were shot down over Volgograd region, the governor described the attack as massive and reported a fire at a locomotive depot.
