February 17, 2026
On the night of February 17, a series of powerful explosions rocked Russia’s Krasnodar Krai . Suicide drones attacked the Ilsky oil refinery.
The strikes caused a massive fire at the plant’s premises, according to Russian media and Telegram monitoring channels.
Explosions in the Krasnodar Territory
The Krasnodar Krai task force confirmed a drone attack in the region. Local authorities stated that two people were injured by falling debris from the attack in the village of Ilsky in the Seversky District.
Four private homes were also damaged by UAV fragments, two of which caught fire. Local officials have not commented on the strikes on the oil refinery.
Regional authorities later commented on the strike on the refinery. Officials stated that a drone attack caused a fire at the Ilsky Oil Refinery. An oil tank was damaged, and the fire covered approximately 700 square meters. Seventy-two people and 21 pieces of equipment are involved in extinguishing the fire. A fire train is also on the scene.
Eyewitnesses, in turn, published a video and stated that a large-scale fire broke out on the territory of the oil refinery after the drone strike.
Furthermore, Russian residents complained about the operation of air defense systems in the Novorossiysk and Sochi areas. According to monitoring channels, the Krasnodar Krai was attacked by over 100 drones.
What is known about the refinery
The Ilsky Oil Refinery is one of the largest petrochemical facilities in southern Russia and plays a vital role in the production of petroleum products. The combined capacity of its primary processing units is 6.6 million tons of oil per year.
The plant produces straight-run gasoline fractions (including stable natural gasoline), diesel distillates (low-pour point diesel fuel), fuel oil, kerosene, gas oil, and bitumen. The company also specializes in primary oil refining.
In 2023, crude processing amounted to 5.285 million tons. In 2024, according to some reports, the refinery suffered a net loss of 38.3 billion rubles. Like other refineries in Russia’s regions, the refinery has been repeatedly subjected to drone strikes.
As a reminder, on February 12, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported the destruction of a Project 02510 BK-16 landing craft. This is likely the same craft that was docked near the village of Novoozernoe in temporarily occupied Crimea. The report also noted that after use, modified terminals can be locked to prevent reuse.
As OBOZ.UA reported, following yet another large-scale Russian shelling, Ukraine has stepped up sanctions on the aggressor country’s defense industry. The restrictions target companies without which drone and missile production would be impossible.
It’s great to see Ukraine attacking the mafia oil industry regularly again.
Nice fire. 🔥🤣
“The report also noted that after use, modified terminals can be locked to prevent reuse.”
This sentence seems misplaced. Maybe talking about Starlink terminals? If used in a Ukrainian drone, locked so it can’t be used by ruSSia if drone is captured?