Ukrainian Drones Hit Afipsky Refinery for 5th Time, Novoshakhtinsk Plant Reportedly Targeted

Key Points:

• The village of Afipsky in Russia's Seversky district was struck by a drone attack, damaging at least 10 private homes and causing fires at an oil refinery, resulting in two deaths and two injuries, according to regional Governor Veniamin Kondratyev.
• The Afipsky Oil Refinery, a major facility in southern Russia with a crude-processing capacity of about 7.2 million metric tons annually, was hit by Ukrainian forces, marking its fifth drone attack this year; fires broke out on the premises, and damage assessment is ongoing.
• Ukrainian forces also targeted the Astrakhan Gas Processing Plant in the Astrakhan region, damaging two gas separation units; the plant supplies the Russian military and produces key fuel products and technical sulfur used in explosives.
• Additional drone attacks hit Russia's Rostov region, including the Novoshakhtinsk Oil Refinery and nearby towns, causing property damage and a forest fire but no casualties; Russian air defenses intercepted 148 aerial targets overnight across multiple regions.
• Since early 2026, Ukrainian drone strikes have disabled over 70 Russian industrial facilities, leading to the complete shutdown of five refineries since August and contributing to Russia’s lowest oil refining levels since 2002, causing fuel shortages in some regions.