Explosions and fires rocked Russia’s Krasnodar region early Thursday morning, Aug. 7, following a large-scale drone attack that reportedly hit an oil refinery and a military unit.
According to the Russian Telegram channel Ostorozhno, Novosti, a powerful explosion occurred around 6 a.m. in the village of Afipsky. Eyewitnesses reported seeing a column of black smoke over the industrial part of the city.
Preliminary reports suggest that the Afipsky oil refinery was targeted by drones, resulting in a fire. Footage circulating on social media shows thick smoke rising from the site.
“It looks like the primary oil refining unit is on fire. This means the plant will be out of operation for a long time,” wrote the Telegram channel Exilenova Plus, alongside a video of the large blaze.
Elsewhere, drones reportedly flew over Slavyansk-on-Kuban, where a fire broke out at military unit 61661 following the attack.
In the Volgograd region, drones targeted the town of Surovikino. The railway station was reportedly hit, and a fire broke out after debris from a drone fell nearby.
The Shot Telegram channel reported the first signs of the attack at around 1 a.m. Kyiv time, with witnesses hearing drone sounds followed by approximately 10 powerful explosions.
The Astra Telegram channel later clarified that the Surovikino railway station was hit directly, sparking a fire.
Temporary flight restrictions were imposed at Volgograd airport shortly before the attacks began.
Regional governor Andrey Bocharov claimed air defenses repelled the drone assault, with no casualties reported. However, he confirmed damage at two railway stations.
He stated that a fire had broken out at the administrative building of Surovikino station, while sappers were clearing drone debris at Maksym Gorky station, which reportedly remained undamaged.
Rail traffic is said to be operating normally.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed that from 23:30 on Aug. 6 to 06:10 on Aug. 7, air defenses intercepted or destroyed 82 Ukrainian drones across Russia:
- 31 over the Sea of Azov
- 11 over occupied Crimea
- 10 over Rostov region
- 9 over Krasnodar region
- 8 over the Black Sea
- 7 over Volgograd region
- 4 over Belgorod region
- 1 each over the Kursk and Oryol regions
As yet, Ukraine has not issued any statements.
Since early August, Ukraine has intensified its long-range drone strikes deep into Russian territory, targeting oil refineries, fuel trains, and storage facilities.
The campaign, often involving dozens of kamikaze drones per site, has significantly disrupted Russia’s energy infrastructure and led to surging domestic fuel prices.
One of the most far-reaching strikes occurred on Aug. 1-2, when Ukraine launched over 100 drones, hitting key refineries like Ryazan (Russia’s fourth-largest) and Novokuibyshevsk.
Explosions and massive fires were reported, with satellite data confirming damage, despite Moscow’s attempts to downplay the impact.
Ukraine’s 14th Separate Unmanned Aircraft Regiment has claimed responsibility for several of the attacks, including on facilities in Tatsinskaya, Adler, Sochi, and Voronezh. The strikes have forced the shutdown of operations at major sites and disrupted rail and airport activity.
According to Kommersant, the strikes have cut Russian fuel output by up to 40,000 tons per day. Wholesale gasoline prices spiked to record highs, prompting the Kremlin to impose a ban on fuel exports from July 30 through at least August 31.