Ukrainian drones targeted strategic energy infrastructure in Russia’s Krasnodar region in the early hours of Saturday, April 11, marking the latest in a wave of strikes on Moscow’s oil assets just hours before a scheduled Easter ceasefire.
Explosions were reported in Gelendzhik and the Krymsk district, where drones reportedly struck the Krymsk line production and dispatch station (LPDS). According to the Ukrainian Telegram channel Exilenova+, thi facility serves as a critical hub, pumping oil and petroleum products through several trunk pipelines toward the port of Novorossiysk, as well as the Ilsky and Afipsky refineries.
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Local residents also reported seeing flashes over the Black Sea, while the Russian Telegram channel Shot confirmed the sounds of explosions across the region. This follows a previous attack on the same LPDS on April 9. Official information regarding the scale of the damage has not yet been released.
The escalation in long-range strikes occurs as Ukraine systematically degrades Russia’s energy export capacity. On Friday, April 10, the Ukrainian military struck two ice-resistant drilling platforms in the Caspian Sea, nearly 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) from the front lines. These facilities, located at the Yuri Korchagin and V. Grayfer oil fields, are essential for supplying fuel and lubricants to Russian forces.
Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine’s head of the Presidential Office and top negotiator, recently noted that these strikes are intended to strengthen Kyiv’s position in upcoming negotiations. Despite “signals” from international partners to halt attacks on Russian refineries due to surging global oil prices, Ukraine has maintained its campaign against facilities that fund the Kremlin’s war effort.
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The strike on the Krymsk station adds to a string of recent successes, including the destruction of Russia’s last railway ferry in the Kerch Strait, the Slavyanin, and a coordinated hit on an oil terminal in occupied Feodosia. As the 4 p.m. ceasefire deadline approaches, the intensified bombardment of Russian energy hubs underscores the fragile nature of any temporary truce.