Drone Strikes Hit Russia’s Port of Kavkaz, Oil Refinery, and Chemical Plant Overnight

Multiple Russian regions came under drone attacks overnight on March 14, with reported strikes targeting the port of Kavkaz in Russia’s Krasnodar region, the Afipsky oil refinery, and a major chemical facility in the Samara region.

According to ASTRA on March 14, the attacks appeared to focus on infrastructure linked to Russia’s fuel supply and industrial sector.

The operational headquarters of Russia’s Krasnodar region confirmed that drones struck the port of Kavkaz in the Temryuk district and the Afipsky oil refinery in the Seversky district. Officials said debris from intercepted drones caused damage and fires at the facilities.

At the port of Kavkaz, debris from drones damaged a technical vessel and triggered a localized fire at a pier complex, according to the Krasnodar regional operational headquarters cited by ASTRA. Russian authorities reported that three people were injured and hospitalized following the incident.

Video footage circulated online and geolocated by ASTRA showed a fire at the Afipsky oil refinery. Russian officials said the blaze began after fragments from downed drones fell on technical installations at the site. Authorities reported no casualties at the refinery.

Explosions and air defense activity were also reported near the city of Tolyatti in Russia’s Samara region. According to ASTRA, the likely target was the KuibyshevAzot chemical plant, a major Russian producer of chemical materials. Samara region governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev stated that Russian air defenses shot down three drones over the region overnight.

ASTRA also reported that one drone may have fallen in a residential complex in northern Krasnodar, though officials did not provide details about possible damage. Separately, the governor of Russia’s Belgorod region said one person was killed and another injured during overnight drone attacks.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense stated that air defenses intercepted or destroyed 87 Ukrainian drones during the night, though the ministry did not specify which facilities were targeted.

The port of Kavkaz is a key logistics hub in southern Russia. By cargo volume, it ranks fifth among Russian ports and second in the Azov–Black Sea basin after Novorossiysk. The port’s oil terminal plays a role in supplying fuel to Russian-occupied territories, including Crimea and parts of southern Ukraine.

Update: Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed that Defense Forces units struck the Afipsky oil refinery in the settlement of Afipsky, Krasnodar region, during overnight operations on March 14 aimed at reducing Russia’s military-economic capacity.

According to the statement, the refinery has an annual processing capacity of 6.25 million tons—about 2.1% of Russia’s total oil refining output—and a strike on the facility was followed by a fire on the plant’s territory.

The General Staff also reported damage to infrastructure at the Port of Kavkaz near the Chushka area in Krasnodar region, adding that both facilities are involved in supporting the Russian military. The extent of the damage is still being clarified.

Earlier, drones struck Uralchem’s KCKK chemical plant in the city of Kirovo-Chepetsk in Russia’s Kirov region—more than 1,000 kilometers from Ukraine’s border. The facility produces ammonium nitrate, a chemical used in fertilizer production but also linked to explosive manufacturing. Kirov region governor Alexander Sokolov confirmed the attack, stating that emergency services responded to the site and that no casualties were reported.

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