A Ukrainian drone crashed into one of Russia’s major oil refinery complexes on Saturday, igniting a fire and causing slight damage, according to a Russian official.
Located around 1,400 kilometers from the Ukrainian front line, this facility is owned by Russian oil company Bashneft and is situated on the outskirts of Ufa, the capital of the Republic of Bashkortostan.
Social media videos appeared to capture a drone approaching the site before detonating in a fiery explosion, which released a plume of smoke into the air.
“Today, the Bashneft facility was targeted in a drone attack,” stated Radiy Khabirov, the head of Bashkortostan, via Telegram.
One drone impacted the refinery, while another was intercepted and shot down, he noted.
“No casualties or injuries were reported. The production facility experienced minor damage, and a fire broke out, which is currently being extinguished,” he added.
A representative from Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence agency took responsibility for the operation.
Following Russia’s full-scale military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Ukraine has retaliated with attacks on Russian refineries to disrupt the Kremlin’s capacity to finance its military efforts.
This summer, a series of Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries impacted processing capacities at several critical sites, leading to an increase in fuel prices at gas stations.
The Kremlin referred to Bashneft’s Ufa refinery in 2016 as “one of the largest in the nation,” boasting production of over 150 different types of oil products.