Ukrainian drone attack sparks fire at Russian oil refinery

MOSCOW

A barrage of Ukrainian drones sparked a blaze overnight at an oil refinery and separately killed one person in southern Russia, officials in Russia and Ukraine said on Monday.

Kiev and Moscow have intensified fatal cross-border missile and drone attacks over recent months with both sides primarily targeting energy infrastructure.

Authorities in the Russian Black Sea town of Tuapse in the Krasnodar region said debris from one downed drone sparked a fire at an oil refinery.

The governor of Russia's southern Belgorod region meanwhile said one person driving a tractor was killed by a Ukrainian drone and his wife had been injured.

A source in the Ukrainian defense sector said drones linked to the defense Intelligence of Ukraine were behind the oil refinery attack and that the facility was operated by Russian state energy giant Rosneft.

"The extent of the damage to the aggressor state's military-industrial complex is currently being clarified," the source said in written comments.

Russia its forces had downed 75 Ukrainian drones overnight, with nearly 50 destroyed over the southern Rostov region.

Air defense systems intercepted 47 drones over Rostov, 17 over the Black and Azov seas and 11 in other areas including one over the frontier region of Belgorod, the defense ministry said.

Russia almost daily announces the interception of Ukrainian drones which Kiev says are a response to Russian attacks aimed at military and civilian targets since Moscow launched its special military operation in February 2022.

Ukraine meanwhile said its forces had downed 16 Russian drones overnight.