Drone Strike Targets Key Russian Oil Depot in Krasnodar, Igniting Multiple Fuel Tanks

A drone strike on an oil depot in Russia’s Krasnodar region ignited multiple fuel storage tanks, according to Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation on February 5.

“The targeted oil depot, Albashneft, belongs to a refinery capable of processing up to 320,000 tons of crude oil annually,” Kovalenko said.

“Its primary products—straight-run gasoline, diesel fuel, and fuel oil—are supplied to the Russian armed forces. This is yet another logistical asset of the Russian military.”

The attack occurred overnight from February 4 to 5, sparking fires in several storage tanks. As of 8:00 am local time, firefighting efforts were still ongoing.

Krasnodar Governor Veniamin Kondratyev confirmed the attack, stating that a drone fragment struck a fuel storage tank, triggering a fire.

“The fire has been classified as a second-degree emergency. Specialized response teams are on-site, with 55 personnel and 19 units of equipment working to contain the blaze,” he wrote.

The Albashneft oil depot, located in the village of Novominskaya in the Kanevskoy district, is the only such facility in the region. Built in 2010, it specializes in the initial processing of crude oil.

NASA’s FIRMS monitoring system detected the fire at 1:11 am on February 5. While the exact number of damaged tanks remains unknown, the facility houses eight storage units—three large and five medium-sized.

Situated approximately 250 kilometers from the front lines in Ukraine, the oil depot plays a strategic role in supplying fuel to Russia’s military operations.

Earlier, multiple attack drones targeted critical Russian energy infrastructure, hitting the Lukoil oil refinery in Volgograd, the Astrakhan gas processing plant, and the Orenburg gas processing plant.