Two killed, refinery on fire in Russia’s Krasnodar after drone attack

A fire broke out at the Afipsky oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar region following a drone attack, local authorities have said, while two employees at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant were injured in another Ukrainian drone attack.

At least two people were killed, and two others were injured, due to falling drone debris at the Afipsky railway station, Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said on Tuesday.

The nuclear plant’s management said that the strike occurred near the plant’s hydraulic structures and wounded two maintenance and construction workers. Russian-installed management did not provide details on any damage caused by the attack.

Ukraine has been targeting Russia’s oil refineries and ⁠other infrastructure, attempting to undermine ⁠Moscow’s war efforts and reduce financial revenue.

Ukraine’s General Staff said its forces struck facilities at Afipsky.

It added that its forces also hit a gas processing plant in Russia’s Astrakhan region overnight.

Russia’s Ministry of Defence said its forces had struck a cargo vessel carrying goods for the Ukrainian army in the port of Pivdennyi near Odesa, as well as port infrastructure facilities used for unloading military cargo.

The ministry said Russian air defences shot down 148 Ukrainian drones overnight.

Ukraine has ramped up attacks on Russian energy infrastructure in recent months, escalating a fuel crisis in the country.

Ukrainian air strikes in Russia’s Rostov oblast damaged a MiG-29 fighter jet on Monday, Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed Tuesday, in an attack at Millerovo airbase.

Kyiv also claimed strikes on a radio-electronic station targeting a Starlink communication jamming station in Myrnyi in occupied Crimea, a Peresvet-M electronic warfare system in Luhansk oblast, and a Russian military warehouse in Primorsk, Zaporizhia oblast, according to reports from Ukraine’s Kyiv Independent publication.

Amid the continuing attacks, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Monday that would allow the state to take temporary control of critical infrastructure found to be inadequately protected from attack.

The attacks come after a meeting in Kyiv where Ukraine’s allies pledged to continue supporting the country during the ongoing war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the assembled leaders in an evening address that he wanted to “raise production” of drones and missiles to wage “more attacks” on Russia, matching its strikes on Ukraine.

The meeting was attended by 30 leaders of the so-called Coalition of the Willing, including British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who called for negotiations with Russia, and French President Emmanuel Macron, who participated remotely and predicted that “NATO countries will be targeted and the provocations will multiply”.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb was also in attendance, urging Ukraine’s allies to help expand its ability ⁠to strike deeply inside Russia.

The Kremlin said on Tuesday that Burnham and Stubb belonged to the “party of war”.