Russia’s Defense Ministry on Wednesday accused Ukraine of “undermining” a temporary pause on attacks against energy infrastructure by launching a drone strike on an oil depot in the southern Krasnodar region overnight.
“The Kyiv regime launched a deliberate attack using three fixed-wing UAVs on an energy facility in the village of Kavkazskaya,” the ministry said in a statement published on Telegram.
According to the military, the facility is used to transfer oil from rail tankers into the pipeline system operated by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium. The drone attack caused a fuel tank to rupture and a fire to break out across 1,700 square meters, it added.
Earlier, authorities in the Krasnodar region said more than 200 emergency responders were dispatched to battle the fire. Videos shared by Telegram news channels showed firefighters struggling to extinguish the large blaze.
“It is clear that this was another carefully planned provocation by the Kyiv regime aimed at undermining the U.S. president’s peace initiatives,” Russia’s Defense Ministry said.
Ukraine has not yet commented on the attack.
The reported strike occurred just hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed in talks with U.S. President Donald Trump to a 30-day suspension of attacks on energy infrastructure.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he supported the limited ceasefire, but added that he believes Putin’s refusal to agree to a broader deal indicated that the Russian leader was not “ready" for peace and still seeks to “weaken” Ukraine.
Later on Wednesday, the Kremlin reiterated that Putin had ordered his military to pause strikes on energy infrastructure and claimed that a similar command was not given in Ukraine.
“We are closely monitoring whether the Kyiv regime will heed the firm commitment of the presidents of Russia and the United States to take gradual steps toward a peaceful resolution, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed that at the moment Putin’s order to halt attacks was issued, seven Russian drones were already airborne and targeting Ukrainian energy facilities in the Mykolaiv region.
“Russian air defense forces were ordered to neutralize the drones. Six were shot down by Pantsir air defense systems, while one was intercepted by an airborne Russian fighter jet,” the ministry said.
Overnight air attacks on Ukraine killed at least one person and damaged two hospitals, Ukrainian authorities said earlier on Wednesday.
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