On May 19, a Ukrainian drone slammed into the 70,000-barrel-a-day Slavyansk oil refinery in southern Russia’s Krasnodar region, sending a fireball into the sky, according to videos circulating on social media.¹⁾

It was the third time in two months that Ukrainian forces hit the relatively small plant located several hundred kilometers from the front, dodging Russian air defense systems.²⁾

The Slavyansk refinery is capable of processing 4 million tons of oil a year and is one of the closest facilities to war zone in eastern Ukraine.³⁾

The facility, which processes 4 million tons of crude per year, or about 80,000 barrels a day, was previously a target of drone attacks in March and April.⁴⁾