[UPDATED: Dec. 17, 11:32 am
, Kyiv time. Updated with confirmation from Ukraine’s General Staff]
Ukrainian drones reportedly attacked the city of Slavyansk-on-Kuban in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai early Wednesday morning, Dec. 17, the region’s emergency response center reported.
“Two people were injured, and at least five private homes were damaged by falling UAV debris. The wounded were hospitalized and are receiving all necessary medical care,” the center said.
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Russian Telegram channel Shot, citing local residents, reported that the attack began shortly after midnight and lasted for at least three hours, with around 18 explosions reported across the city.
A fire later broke out in one district, though officials did not specify the exact location. According to the Ukrainian monitoring channel Exilenova+, the fire was detected on the grounds of a local oil refinery.
The Slavyansk Oil Refinery, owned by Slavyansk ECO, has an annual processing capacity of 5.2 million tons and has been targeted twice earlier this year, on Aug. 13 and Nov. 30.
Drone strikes were also reported overnight in Saratov and Engels in Russia’s Saratov region. Shot said at least 10 explosions were heard, though there were no official reports of casualties or damage.
Ukrainian drones previously struck the Saratov Oil Refinery on Dec. 13. The facility, owned by Rosneft and capable of processing 5.8 million tons of oil annually, has been hit six times this autumn and at least nine times since the beginning of the year.
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Separately, a suburb of Yeysk in Krasnodar Krai was also attacked early Dec. 17. Local residents reported at least three explosions and a “fireball” in the sky. Authorities have not released official details. The Yeysk seaport hosts a complex for the transshipment of fuel oil and petroleum products.
Russia’s defense ministry claimed its air defenses “intercepted and destroyed” 94 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 31 over Krasnodar Krai, 22 over the Rostov region, and 8 over the Saratov region.
Ukraine’s General Staff later confirmed that the Ukrainian military used “means of deep strike” to hit infrastructure at the Slavyansky oil refinery in the city of Slavyansk-on-Kuban.
According to a Telegram report, explosions and a fire were recorded at the target site, and the extent of the damage is still being assessed.
The General Staff also confirmed a strike on the Nikolaevskaya oil depot in Russia’s Rostov region. Preliminary data indicate that a fuel storage tank and the river vessel Captain Gibert were damaged.
In addition, a field artillery depot belonging to a unit of Russia’s 101st Separate Logistics Brigade was hit in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine’s Luhansk region.
Separately, the General Staff reported that an earlier strike on Dec. 14 successfully hit the R. Graifer offshore drilling platform in the Caspian Sea using a drone.
“Damage to the stationary platform, which houses the operational and technical module for gas preparation and pumping, was confirmed, resulting in the shutdown of all 14 wells,” the report says.