Payback for Putin? Multiple Explosions Rock Russia and Cause Chaos Across Country Amid Escalating Ukraine War

Russia recently found itself grappling with a series of incidents that stirred chaos across the nation after a significant Ukrainian drone strike sparked fires at two oil refineries, while simultaneously, a mysterious fire erupted in Moscow, according to sources.

The Ukrainian Security Service has claimed responsibility for the drone strike. The latest wave of Ukrainian drone attacks targeted the Afipsky and Ilsky oil refineries situated in the Krasnodar region of southern Russia.

Visual evidence of the drone strike displayed intense explosions at the Ilsky oil refinery, igniting a fierce blaze within the facility.

Regional authorities, as reported by Reuters, asserted that the massive flames at the Ilsky oil refinery were swiftly brought under control and extinguished within a span of two hours. However, an assessment detailing the extent of the damage incurred by the fire is yet to be released.

The Ilsky oil refinery, a key fuel producer in southern Russia, possesses the capacity to refine 6.6 million tons of crude oil annually.

The Sun highlighted the significance of the oil refinery in supplying oil to the port of Novorossiysk, which caters to both naval and civilian vessels.

Similarly, the Afipsky refinery, also targeted in the Ukrainian drone strike, stands as a major facility with an annual production capacity of 6 million tons of oil.

Reports from The Sun's sources in Russia indicate that there were no casualties resulting from the attacks. However, rescue operations are currently underway at the affected facilities to mitigate the emergency and ascertain the root causes of the incident.

These refineries have fallen victim to Ukraine's persistent strategy of targeting Russia's oil and energy infrastructure, as evidenced by recent months' occurrences. Ukrainian forces executed successive drone strikes on two oil refineries in St. Petersburg, approximately 621 miles from Ukraine.

In January, Ukraine launched a trio of drones, targeting the seaport in the Leningrad region near St. Petersburg. However, Russian air defense systems intercepted one of the drones over the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal, causing it to crash into the facility and trigger a significant explosion and subsequent fire.

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Another Ukrainian drone struck the Nevsky Mazut oil refinery in St. Petersburg at the end of January, resulting in damage to multiple oil storage containers and a substantial fire at the site.

The relentless onslaught of Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries has prompted an increase in crude oil exports beyond planned levels for February, potentially undermining Russia's commitment to reducing sales under the OPEC+ agreement.

Meanwhile, there was turmoil in Moscow on Feb. 9, where a mysterious fire engulfed three six-story buildings near the Airport metro station. Spanning 43,000 square feet, this incident marked the largest fire in a residential area in the Russian capital since 1991, as per reports from The Sun.