Drones attacked a major oil pumping station used for exports in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai early on Thursday morning, April 9.
According to regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev, “one of the enterprises” in the city of Krymsk was hit. He reported that a man was killed by falling debris in a village near the city.
Local residents heard more than 20 explosions over the course of an hour, according to the Shot Telegram channel. Krymsk is home to a Russian military airfield. Eyewitnesses reported bright flashes in the sky, likely from air defense activity and low-altitude drone flights.
Videos analyzed by the Russian outlet Astra suggest that the Crimean Linear Production and Dispatch Station (LPDS) was targeted. A fire broke out at the facility following the strike.
The station pumps oil and petroleum products through several major pipelines, including Tikhoretsk–Novorossiysk 2.3, Krymsk–Grushovaya, Krymsk–Krasnodar, and the Tikhoretsk–Novorossiysk 1 oil product pipeline.
From the Krymskaya LPDS, oil and petroleum products are transported to the port of Novorossiysk, as well as to the Ilsky and Afipsky oil refineries. The station is part of Chernomortransneft JSC and is one of the largest in Krasnodar Krai.
According to Shot, explosions were also reported during the drone attack in the suburbs of Krasnodar, the southern part of the city, and several settlements in the Seversky District.
Airports in Krasnodar and Gelendzhik have been closed since the evening of April 8.
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed that a total of 69 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight across multiple regions, including Krasnodar Krai, Astrakhan and Kursk regions, and over the Sea of Azov.
At the same time, a series of explosions were reported near Alchevsk in the occupied Luhansk region, according to OSINT channels.
Monitoring data suggests the drones struck strategically important Russian military facilities, including bases used for the repair and maintenance of military equipment.
Videos circulating online show a large fire erupting following the strikes. Information about the full extent of the damage and possible casualties is still being clarified.
Alchevsk, occupied by Russia since 2014, hosts a metallurgical plant used to produce artillery shell casings and armored steel. In March 2026, Ukrainian drones previously struck the plant, causing a massive fire.
Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) Commander Robert “Madyar” Brovdy later released a video report confirming overnight strikes in the Luhansk region on a Russian logistics hub in the occupied town of Perevalsk. According to the video, the hub was hit in a double strike, followed by a massive fire.
Since mid-2025, Ukrainian forces have increasingly targeted Russia’s energy infrastructure.
On April 6, drones struck the Sheskharis terminal in Novorossiysk, Russia’s largest oil export hub on the Black Sea, handling around 700,000 barrels per day.
According to Reuters, operations at the terminal were suspended following the attack. Ukrainian forces have also previously targeted major Baltic ports, including Primorsk and Ust-Luga.
On April 8, Ukrainian drones struck the Marine Oil Terminal in Feodosia in occupied Crimea, sparking a large fire in at least two storage tanks.