A refinery in the city of Rostov-na-Donu in southwestern Russia began burning after a Ukrainian drone attack, early on Thursday morning. Overnight, Russia shot down nearly 20 drones, according to the Defense Ministry.
"A fire broke out at the Novosjachtinsk refinery after a drone attack," writes Vasilij Golubev, the region's governor, on Telegram.
"Work was paused due to repeated attacks and personnel were evacuated to a safe distance."
He later clarified that the fire had been "localized" to an area of around 100 square meters, and that no one had been reported dead or injured.
Russia's Defense Ministry reported that 13 drones were destroyed overnight over the annexed Crimean Peninsula, six over the Belgorod region, and one over the Rostov region.
The Novosjachtinsk refinery, located about 10 kilometers from the Russian border, is considered one of the most important in southern Russia.
Another drone attack destroyed an oil tank at a depot in Staryj Oskol, just north of the Ukrainian border. Vjatjeslav Gladkov, governor of the Belgorod region, reports that the fire was extinguished quickly and no one was injured.
Ukraine has regularly attacked Russian energy facilities since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
