Ukrainian Drones Strike Russian Energy Facility Shortly After Putin-Trump Conversation

On the night of March 18 to 19, just hours after the conclusion of high-level U.S.-Russia negotiations, the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched an attack using three drones on an energy infrastructure facility in Krasnodar Krai. This information was shared by the Russian Ministry of Defense on its Telegram channel.

"The Kiev regime carried out a deliberate attack employing three aircraft-type drones on an energy infrastructure facility located in the village of Kavkazskaya (Krasnodar Krai)," the statement reads.

This facility serves as a transfer point for oil from railway tankers into the pipeline system of the international oil transportation company Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC).

"As a result of the Ukrainian drone's crash at the oil transfer site, one oil tank was breached, igniting a fire over an area of 1,700 square meters," the Russian Ministry of Defense explained.

Earlier, on February 17, the Kiev regime executed a drone attack on the "Kropotkinskaya" oil pumping station belonging to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC). This resulted in damage to the station, rendering it inoperable.

"It is abundantly clear that this is yet another provocation orchestrated by the Kiev regime, aimed at undermining the peace initiatives of the U.S. President," the Russian defense ministry's statement asserts.

Moreover, it is noted that at the moment the Supreme Commander of the Russian Armed Forces ordered a temporary cessation of strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, seven Russian strike drones were in the air, targeting facilities related to the defense industry located in Nikolayev Region. Russian air defense received orders to eliminate the UAVs, resulting in six being shot down by the Pantsir air defense system and one by a standby fighter jet from the Russian Aerospace Forces.