In the overnight hours, four refineries in southern Russia were targeted, with one facility damaged, in one of the largest drone swarm attacks since the war in Ukraine began, Bloomberg reports. 

Seventy drones were intercepted and destroyed over Crimea and the Black Sea and 43 over the Krasnodar region, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Telegram, without saying how many drones took part in the attack. The Afipsky, Ilsky, Krasnodar and Astrakhan refineries were attacked, Ukraine's General Staff said later in a Facebook post.

In the Seversky district of the Krasnodar region, where the Afipsky and Ilsky refineries are located, "administrative buildings were damaged on the territory of an oil refinery" as a result of the attack, local governor Veniamin Kondratyev said on Telegram. Interfax earlier reported that a fire affecting area of ??50 square meters (538 square feet) was extinguished by morning, with two people injured. -BBG

Ukraine's military claimed responsibility for the drone swarm attack, saying it launched drones against "the Afipskiy, Ilskiy, Krasnodar and Astrakhan oil refineries." They also said an intelligence center in southern Russia was targeted.

Drones also targeted a "preparation and storage area" in the Krasnodar region, resulting in a "series of explosions and a fire with subsequent detonation," Ukraine said.

More than two years since the war began, Ukraine is ramping up cross-border drone attacks on Russian energy infrastructure as conflict spillover risks soar. Kyiv and its Western backers aim to paralyze one of Russia's most important industries: oil refining.

In recent days, Ukrainian drone attacks have damaged several oil storage facilities. Last month, two other refineries in southern Russia, including Rosneft's large Tuapse facility on the Black Sea, were targeted.