The attack caused minor fires and damage, but there were no casualties.
According to radiy Khabirov, head of Bashkortostan region, on the morning of September 13 (local time), two drones were said to have departed from Ukraine and targeted the Ufa oil refining complex. One drone crashed into the factory and exploded, causing a fire, while the other was shot down by Russian air defenses before reaching the factory.
The fire was extinguished quickly, the damage was assessed to be minor. Mr. Khabirov affirmed: "There were no casualties. Light damage and the factory continues to operate".
The Ufa plant is one of Russia's largest refineries, specializing in the production of about 150 types of petroleum products, located on the outskirts of Ufa city, about 1,400km from the border with Ukraine.
A source from the Ukrainian military intelligence agency said they were behind the attack, although Russia has not publicly confirmed it. Video circulating on social media shows the drone plunging towards the plant and exploding into a fireball.
This is not the first time Ukraine has used drones to attack Russian oil refineries to put pressure on the energy industry - a step in Russia's strategy of undermining the financial capacity to continue the Ukrainian conflict.
