The Daily Populous Wednesday March 18th, 2026 evening edition
Authored by kyivpost.com and submitted by Plus-Pretties

As a result, 18 of the 20 storage tanks burned – including 9 gasoline and 9 diesel tanks - as well as 7 fuel tankers.

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As reported by Astra outlet, citing sources in the region’s emergency services, a massive fire broke out at the facility after four drones struck, engulfing an area of about 3,000 square meters.

A strike by the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) on an oil depot in Labinsk, Krasnodar Krai, on March 16 reportedly resulted in the near-total destruction of its storage tank farm.

Notably, in its Tuesday report, the Ukrainian Telegram channel Exilenova+ claimed that most of the depot’s storage facilities were destroyed in the attack on Labinsk, with further details expected after satellite imagery is analyzed.

No injuries were reported, and the facility’s operations have been suspended, Astra said.

Vladimir Zaburayev, head of the Labinsk district, said on Tuesday that the fire was still burning but described the situation as “stable.”

Russia’s consumer safety watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, reported no excess concentrations of harmful substances in the air.

As of Wednesday, March 18, Ukraine has not officially confirmed the attack.

According to Russian media, the Labinsk oil depot belongs to Yugnefteprodukt and is one of the largest in the region. It has a storage capacity of 9,000 cubic meters and supplies fuel – including AI-80, AI-92, and AI-95 gasoline, diesel, and lubricants – to Krasnodar and Stavropol Krais, Rostov Oblast, and Adygea.

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Russia’s Krasnodar Krai came under a massive drone strike early on March 16, according to the regional operational headquarters. Explosions near the oil depot were first reported around 2 a.m., with residents of Labinsk sharing videos showing the strike and a large fire in the industrial zone.

The region is considered a key logistics hub for the Russian military, with oil depots serving as “gas stations” for troops in southern Ukraine. Disrupting such facilities can complicate refueling and potentially create fuel shortages at the front.

Local authorities later confirmed the incident but attributed the blaze to “falling debris from a downed UAV.”

Emergency crews, including fire and rescue units, were deployed to contain the fire. Open flames and a large column of black smoke were visible from several kilometers away.

In recent days, Ukrainian drones have repeatedly targeted fuel and energy facilities in Krasnodar Krai. On March 12 and 15, an oil depot near Tikhoretsk caught fire, according to the regional task force.

The strikes reportedly hit storage tanks at the Tikhoretskaya Linear Production and Dispatch Station (LPDS), as well as the nearby Tikhoretsk-Nafta terminal.

Reddit_2_2024 on March 18th, 2026 at 11:10 UTC »

Well done Ukraine drone operators! Good hunting.

J-the-Kidder on March 18th, 2026 at 09:17 UTC »

Oooo I bet this was fun hunting. I can't wait to see the big booms in other subs!

irrealewunsche on March 18th, 2026 at 09:02 UTC »

Ah, fuel tanks, not shooty tanks.

edit: just to be clear, all destruction of Russian property is good, I was just slightly confused by the headline about which type of tanks had been blown up!