Russia Accuses Ukraine of Violating Energy Halt with Drone Strike on Oil Depot

On Wednesday, Russia’s Defense Ministry accused Ukraine of jeopardizing a temporary ceasefire on strikes against energy infrastructure by conducting a drone attack on an oil depot in the southern Krasnodar region late at night.

«The Kyiv government executed a calculated assault using three fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) targeting an energy facility located in the village of Kavkazskaya,» the ministry stated in a message shared on Telegram.

As reported by the military, the facility is essential for transferring oil from railway tankers to the pipeline network managed by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium. The drone strike resulted in a fuel tank bursting and igniting a fire that spread over an area of 1,700 square meters.

Earlier, Krasnodar region officials mentioned that over 200 emergency personnel were sent to combat the flames. Videos circulating on Telegram news channels depicted firefighters battling the intense blaze.

«This clearly represents yet another meticulously orchestrated provocation by the Kyiv government targeting the U.S. president’s peace efforts,» said Russia’s Defense Ministry.

Ukraine has not issued any statement regarding the attack.

The reported incident occurred mere hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump reached an agreement to a 30-day cessation of strikes on energy infrastructure.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his support for the limited ceasefire but remarked that Putin’s unwillingness to agree to a more comprehensive arrangement indicated that the Russian leader was not «prepared» for peace and aimed to «weaken» Ukraine.

Later on Wednesday, the Kremlin reaffirmed that Putin had instructed his military to cease attacks on energy facilities and asserted that no equivalent command had been issued in Ukraine.

«We are closely monitoring whether the Kyiv government will respect the firm commitment made by the presidents of Russia and the United States to gradually pursue a peaceful resolution,» Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the press.

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that at the time Putin’s directive was given to halt attacks, seven Russian drones were already in the air, targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructures in the Mykolaiv region.

«The Russian air defense forces were instructed to neutralize the drones. Six were brought down by Pantsir air defense systems, while one was intercepted by a Russian fighter jet,» the ministry reported.

Meanwhile, overnight air assaults on Ukraine resulted in at least one fatality and caused damage to two hospitals, according to Ukrainian officials earlier in the day.