A Russian drone attack killed two at an oil refinery in Krasnodar, while Moscow warned of semi-military action against British factories supplying Ukraine, as former Prime Minister Boris Johnson narrowly escaped a strike near the Polish border.
Two killed, refinery on fire in Russia’s Krasnodar after
A Russian drone strike on an oil refinery in Krasnodar, Russia, killed at least two people and injured others, according to local authorities. The attack, part of escalating Ukrainian operations targeting Russian energy infrastructure, also saw a separate drone strike harm two workers at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. Meanwhile, Russia’s top adviser to Vladimir Putin, Andrei Fedorov, warned of semi-military action against British factories producing components for Ukrainian drones, citing unknown sources as potential perpetrators.
Refinery Attack and Casualties
The Afipsky oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar region caught fire following a drone attack, with Governor Veniamin Kondratyev reporting two deaths and two injuries from falling drone debris at a railway station on 25 August 2026. Ukrainian forces claimed responsibility, stating they struck the refinery and a gas plant in Astrakhan. The Russian Defence Ministry countered that its air defences intercepted 148 Ukrainian drones overnight, while also claiming attacks on cargo vessels in Odesa and Pivdennyi ports. Ukraine’s General Staff said its forces targeted the Afipsky facility, part of a broader campaign to disrupt Russian war efforts. The strikes coincided with Kyiv’s announcement of approval to produce SCALP missiles, a move backed by Britain and France. Meanwhile, Russia accused the UK of adding fuel to the fire by sharing Storm Shadow missile blueprints with Ukraine, a claim denied by British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who asked, Who started the fire? That’s the question, isn’t it?
Russia threatens to attack British factories
Russia’s Threat to British Industry
Andrei Fedorov, a powerful Putin adviser, warned that Russia would not 100 per cent exclude semi-military action against British factories supplying Ukraine. He suggested potential cyberattacks on entities producing drones or Storm Shadow missile components, stating They could be attacked, not by Russia, but by … from unknown sources. Fedorov framed British support for Ukraine as direct military involvement beyond Ukrainian borders, escalating tensions between Moscow and London. Western intelligence sources told The Telegraph that Russia had already launched a fresh wave of covert attacks against European armament factories. The Kremlin had accused Andy Burnham of adding fuel to the fire
of war by sharing the blueprints with Ukraine. Fedorov’s intervention on 25 August 2026 escalated the war of words between London and Moscow after Burnham’s visit to Kyiv. Russian intelligence has allegedly targeted European armament factories, with Western sources reporting fires and explosions at sites in Italy, Bulgaria, and Estonia. The Kremlin has reportedly enlisted local gangs for sabotage, aiming to avoid triggering NATO’s Article 5 clause. Slovak authorities foiled an arson plot against a drone production facility, arresting three foreign suspects. Despite these threats, Britain has continued supplying military and intelligence aid to Ukraine, including access to Kyiv’s “Avenger” data repository to counter Russian espionage. The vulnerability of British industry to cyberattacks was highlighted by The Telegraph, which revealed that hackers linked to the Iranian regime had shut down a power plant for four days.
Boris Johnson hits out at 'warped' Putin as his
Johnson’s Narrow Escape
Boris Johnson narrowly avoided a Russian drone strike while traveling on a private train from Kyiv to Poland. The former prime minister’s train sped up to cross the border after detecting a drone hundreds of kilometres away on 25 August 2026. An hour later, a stationary train at Yahodyn station was struck, but all passengers had already evacuated. Johnson, 62, later criticized Putin’s “warped logic” for targeting civilian railways, noting that 1,700 Ukrzaliznytsia staff had been killed since the war began. Carl Bildt, the Swedish former prime minister also on board, confirmed the attack targeted the train behind Johnson’s. Ukrainian officials reported a fire at the Yahodyn-Dorohusk border crossing, with a petrol station also hit. The incident occurred amid the 2026 Yalta European Strategy conference, where Western leaders discussed peace negotiations with Russia. Johnson urged Britain to unfreeze Russian assets, citing a significant amount in a Belgian bank and £10 billion in London, to aid Ukraine. The Russian Defence Ministry claimed it had hit another cargo vessel in the nearby port of Odesa, as well as port infrastructure in Pivdennyi and Odesa and fuel storage facilities at the port of Chornomorsk. Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed an attack on a MiG-29 fighter jet at Millerovo airbase and strikes on a radio-electronic station targeting a Starlink communication jamming station in Myrnyi, a Peresvet-M electronic warfare system in Luhansk oblast, and a Russian military warehouse in Primorsk, Zaporizhia oblast. The Russian Defence Ministry noted it had hit another cargo vessel in the nearby port of Odesa, as well as port infrastructure in Pivdennyi and Odesa and fuel storage facilities at the port of Chornomorsk. Amid the continuing attacks, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Monday that would allow the state to take temporary control of critical infrastructure found to be inadequately protected from attack.
Russian attacks on Ukrainian rail infrastructure have forced Ukrainian Railways to issue evacuation warnings. The state operator accused Moscow of systematic strikes, with Robin Wagener, a German Green Party MP, calling the drone attack a dangerous escalation. The Ukrainian General Staff said its forces struck facilities at Afipsky and a gas processing plant in Astrakhan. Russia’s Ministry of Defence said its forces had struck a cargo vessel carrying goods for the Ukrainian army in the port of Pivdennyi near Odesa, as well as port infrastructure facilities used for unloading military cargo. The ministry said Russian air defences shot down 148 Ukrainian drones overnight. Ukraine has ramped up attacks on Russian energy infrastructure in recent months, escalating a fuel crisis in the country. The Russian-installed management of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant did not provide details on any damage caused by the attack, though it said the strike occurred near the plant’s hydraulic structures and wounded two maintenance and construction workers. The Russian-installed management did not provide details on any damage caused by the attack. The Russian Defence Ministry claimed it had hit another cargo vessel in the nearby port of Odesa, as well as port infrastructure in Pivdennyi and Odesa and fuel storage facilities at the port of Chornomorsk. The Ukrainian General Staff said its forces also hit a gas processing plant in Russia’s Astrakhan region overnight. Russia’s Ministry of Defence said its forces had struck a cargo vessel carrying goods for the Ukrainian army in the port of Pivdennyi near Odesa, as well as port infrastructure facilities used for unloading military cargo. The ministry said Russian air defences shot down 148 Ukrainian drones overnight.