On the night of March 16 to 17, a series of powerful explosions accompanied by large-scale fires occurred in the city of Slavyansk-on-Kuban in the Krasnodar Krai of Russia. The incident was caused by a massive drone attack, with the local oil refinery being the primary target.
This is reported by Finway
Drone Attack on the Oil Refinery
According to the head of the Center for Occupation Studies, Petro Andryushchenko, the drones began attacking the city at around three in the morning, resulting in fires breaking out in various areas. Prior to this, local residents reported a loud hum of engines in the sky and bright flashes visible in many parts of the city.
“Slavyansk-on-Kuban, Krasnodar Krai. The UAV attack has been ongoing since 03:00. The main target is the oil refinery. There are already results on the ground, with fires in different areas of the city,” the official noted.
OSINT analysts also confirmed the attack on the refinery. According to their data, debris from the downed targets during the operation of Russia’s air defense fell on a hotel and a truck, causing additional damage.
Consequences and Government Response
Russian Telegram channels report that at least 10 explosions were heard in the Slavyansk district overnight. Eyewitnesses noted that the attack occurred in several waves, and the city was enveloped in loud noise and bright flashes in the sky.
Due to the events at the Krasnodar Krai airport, restrictions on the landing and takeoff of aircraft were imposed starting at 2:30 AM. At the time of publication, the official Russian authorities had not provided any comments regarding the large-scale drone attack on the region.
Meanwhile, drone attacks are not limited to Slavyansk-on-Kuban. In Moscow, drones have been attacking for the fourth consecutive day. According to the mayor of the Russian capital, Sergey Sobyanin, about 40 drones were shot down last night, and emergency services are working at the crash sites. However, details regarding the consequences of these attacks remain unknown.
It is worth noting that on March 15, drones attacked an oil depot in the city of Tikhoretsk in Krasnodar Krai for the second time in a week, indicating an escalation in the series of attacks on strategic facilities in Russia.