Fires erupted at two Russian fuel depots on Thursday following suspected drone attacks, officials confirmed, marking the latest escalation in Ukrainian strikes targeting Russia’s oil infrastructure.
Maxim Yegorov, governor of the Tambov region southeast of Moscow, reported that firefighters were combating a blaze at the Platonovskaya fuel depot triggered by a likely drone-induced explosion. Fortunately, no injuries were reported, he stated.
According to the RIA news agency, a second reservoir at the fuel depot also caught fire. Local emergency services issued warnings about potential drone attacks, advising civilians to exercise caution and avoid open areas.
Earlier the same day, a fire broke out at a fuel depot in Russia’s Adygeya region in the North Caucasus following a Ukrainian drone attack. Murat Kumpilov, the regional head, confirmed the fire had been extinguished via the Telegram messaging app.
Recent days have seen a surge in drone strikes targeting major fuel depots across Russia, while attacks on oil refineries, which wield greater influence over global oil markets and prices, have diminished.
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Ukraine argues that Russian energy facilities are legitimate targets, supporting Moscow’s military operations amidst ongoing Russian airstrikes devastating Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
Overnight, a Russian assault damaged energy infrastructure across four Ukrainian regions on Thursday, causing injuries to three workers and disrupting power supply to some consumers, reported the Ukrainian energy ministry.
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Earlier this week, drone strikes ignited fires in several oil storage tanks in the Russian town of Azov, allegedly carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), according to a Ukrainian intelligence source speaking to Reuters. As of the latest update on Wednesday, firefighting efforts were ongoing after more than a day and a half.
Russia maintains approximately 30 major oil refineries, with interruptions in their operations posing sensitivity in both domestic and global markets. The country also hosts numerous fuel reservoirs storing diverse oil products such as gasoline and diesel.
