Russia has suffered a major setback after a Ukrainian kamikaze drone was seen causing a ‘doomsday’ explosion at a key oil facility.
The Steel Horse facility supplies Vladimir Putin’s armed forces, but is also connected to the Druzhba pipeline that sends Russian oil to Europe.
It was reported to be on fire after a joint attack in which Russia claimed to have shot down 20 drones over the Oryol region, where the depot is located.
Video showed the sky lighting up in vibrant apocalyptic yellow and orange colors as air defenses tried to defend the strategic oil depot.
The massive oil depot has been targeted at least three times before, including a successful attack a week ago when a fire raged for days.
Recently, separate Ukrainian attacks have targeted supply bases for the Druzhba pipeline, which is crucial to the oil supply of Hungary and Slovakia, both of which have opposed military aid and NATO membership for Ukraine.
The governor of the Oryol region, Andrei Klychkov, spoke of a “massive enemy UAV attack” and urged people to “remain calm.”
He said: “The attack is still ongoing.
The Steel Horse facility supplies Vladimir Putin’s armed forces, but is also connected to the Druzhba pipeline that sends Russian oil to Europe
Video showed the sky lighting up in vibrant apocalyptic yellow and orange colors as air defenses tried to defend the strategic oil depot
The massive oil depot has been targeted at least three times before, including a successful attack a week ago when a fire raged for days.
‘There is currently no information on casualties or injuries. Emergency services are already on site and are taking measures to extinguish the fire.’
The Russian Defense Ministry said: “Last night, an attempt by the Kiev regime to carry out a terrorist attack on targets on the territory of the Russian Federation using unmanned aerial vehicles was stopped.”
The Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday that its air defense systems destroyed 42 Ukrainian drones over five Russian regions overnight.
Putin said today after the attacks that he would bring more “destruction” to Ukraine.
“Whoever and how much they try to destroy, they will face many times more destruction themselves and will regret what they try to do in our country,” Putin said at a televised government meeting on Sunday.
It comes as Russia claimed new claims on the battlefield in eastern Ukraine.
The Defense Ministry said on Telegram that its forces had “liberated” the villages of Lozova in the northeastern Kharkov and Krasnoye region – called Sontsivka in Ukraine.
Putin said today after the attacks that he would bring more “destruction” to Ukraine
It was reported to be on fire after a joint attack in which Russia claimed to have shot down 20 drones over the Oryol region, where the depot is located.
The latter is close to the resource center of Kurakhove, which Russia has almost encircled, and would be an important prize in Moscow’s attempt to conquer the entire Donetsk region.
Russia has accelerated its advance through eastern Ukraine in recent months, hoping to secure as much territory as possible before newly-elected US President Donald Trump takes power in January.
The Republican has pledged to quickly end the nearly three-year conflict, without proposing concrete terms for a ceasefire or peace deal.
Moscow’s military claims to have captured more than 190 Ukrainian settlements this year, with Kiev struggling to hold the line due to manpower and ammunition shortages.