The Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked the Ilsky Oil Refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai: what are the consequences?
2 June 13:15
On the night of Tuesday, June 2, Ukrainian drones once again attacked the Ilsky Oil Refinery in the Krasnodar Krai—one of the most important facilities in the region, according to the regional operational headquarters. There were no casualties, and emergency and special services are on the scene. Debris from one of the downed drones fell onto the grounds of an apartment building in Slavyansk-on-Kuban—again, with no casualties. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" citing DW.
In total, Russian air defense forces intercepted 148 Ukrainian drones overnight over the Belgorod, Bryansk, Volgograd, Kursk, Oryol, and Rostov regions, the Krasnodar Krai, the annexed Crimea, and over the Azov and Black Seas, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported.
Strategic facility under sustained fire
The Ilsk Oil Refinery is one of the largest oil refining enterprises in the Southern Federal District, with a capacity of approximately 6.6 million tons of oil per year. The plant produces gasoline, gas condensate distillates, high-sulfur diesel fuel, and fuel oil exclusively for export, without producing gasoline or diesel fuel for the domestic market.
Watch us on YouTube: important topics – without censorship
This is the fourth attack on the facility since the beginning of 2026—prior to this, drones struck it twice in February and once in January. In total, there have been at least 16 attacks on the plant since the start of the war.
A Record-Breaking May for the Ukrainian Armed Forces
In May, the Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked Russian oil refineries with drones 15 times, as well as striking oil pipelines seven times, ports six times, and a tanker at sea once, according to Bloomberg’s tally.
The total number of attacks on oil infrastructure in May reached 30—an unprecedented figure since the start of the war, surpassing the previous record set in December, when 26 oil facilities, including 15 refineries, were targeted.
Oil refining has fallen
According to data from the analytical firm OilX, Russian refineries processed 4.58 million barrels of oil per day in May—2.3% less than in April and 14.4% less than at the start of the year. On an annual basis, refinery utilization fell by 13%, and compared to pre-war 2021, by approximately 20%, reaching its lowest level since October 2009.
Oil companies sharply reduced gasoline shipments to the exchange—in May, the supply of AI-95 fell to 5,000 tons per day, a third less than a year earlier. Since the start of the year, wholesale gasoline prices have risen by 26%, and prices at gas stations by 4.3%.
The government banned gasoline exports in March, and in June the ban was extended to aviation fuel. However, fuel shortages are already becoming apparent—in occupied Crimea, fuel is being sold on a rationed basis, in part due to Ukrainian Armed Forces strikes on the “Novorossiya” highway, which serves as a “land corridor” to the annexed peninsula.
Read us on Telegram: important topics – without censorship
