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‘Ukraine drone strike’ sparks inferno at Russian oil depot: Massive fire hits critical supply route for Putin’s invading forces
- A fire rages at an oil depot in Bryansk, a region of Russia bordering Ukraine
- Three diesel tanks caught fire after a drone dropped a bomb into one
- Ukraine typically takes no credit for attacks on Russian soil, but it is widely believed to be behind dozens of blasts on its western border
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An oil depot in Russia exploded in a towering inferno this morning after a drone attack believed to have been orchestrated by Ukraine.
Three tanks containing thousands of tons of diesel fuel caught fire at around 6 a.m. local time at a site in Bryansk, a Russian region bordering Ukraine to the north.
According to Russian media, the fire started after a drone dropped explosives in one of the fuel tanks. No one was injured in the attack.
Videos taken shortly after the attack showed two fuel tanks spewing smoke and flames, at least one of which showed signs of blast damage, with its metal shell bent outward.
Diesel tanks in Bryansk, a region of Russia bordering Ukraine to the north, caught fire this morning after being attacked by a drone
Photos taken after sunrise showed a thick black column of smoke rising into the sky.
Russian media said the origin of the drone is “unknown” and Kiev has not taken credit, but it is widely believed to be behind dozens of attacks on facilities used to supply Putin’s armies in Russia’s western border regions.
Bryansk, Kursk and Belgorod – three oblasts bordering northern Ukraine – have been repeatedly targeted.
“In the Surazhsky district, reservoirs with oil products are on fire. Fire and rescue teams are on the scene,” Governor Alexander Bogomaz said on social media.
Bogomaz said the fire engulfed an area of 1,800 square meters (19,000 square feet) and more than 80 people were involved in putting it out.
He added that there were no reports of casualties.
Citing the emergency services, the state news agency TASS later reported that the fire had spread over an area of 4,000 square meters.
In October, Russia said an oil depot was on fire after it was bombed in Belgorod, which also borders Ukraine, shortly after it complained of an increase in artillery and rocket attacks on its territory.
Kiev has not taken credit for the attack, but it is widely believed to be behind dozens of blasts targeting facilities supplying Putin’s armies in western Russia.