An oil storage facility in Russia exploded into a towering inferno today after a drone attack believed to have been orchestrated by Ukraine.
A tank containing tons of fuel caught fire at around 2am this morning in the harbor near the Black Sea village of Volna – close to the key bridge connecting Russia to the annexed Crimea peninsula.
Spectacular flames erupted from the tank after the suspected Ukrainian drone strike, with a huge plume of noxious dark smoke rising from the Taman seaport after dawn. No one was injured in the attack.
Video taken shortly after the attack showed two fuel tanks spewing smoke and flames.
A witness said, “Something exploded at 2 am. There was a hissing sound in the air and a trail of a drone in the sky. Now it burns. Oil is burning or something else.’
Huge oil depot set on fire in the village of Volna, southern Russia’s Taman port area after a reported Ukrainian drone strike
Spectacular flames erupted in the port of the Black Sea village of Volna
A giant explosion hit an oil storage depot close to the main bridge connecting Russia to the annexed Crimea peninsula
The attack – the latest in a rising tide of apparent attacks by Ukraine on Russian territory – came just six miles from the Kerch Bridge built by Vladimir Putin that connected the Krasnodar region to Crimea, which he annexed in 2014.
The bridge – a key lifeline for the Kremlin’s grip on the peninsula – has been repaired after a sabotage attack on October 8, 2022.
This morning there were unconfirmed reports of people being evacuated from homes near the inferno just hours after the raging blaze started.
According to a report, Russian special services were on the scene.
The suspected Ukrainian drone attack came after saboteurs derailed two Russian freight trains within days and destroyed power cables with explosives.
Krasnodar regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev said: “A tank of oil products caught fire. The fire was assigned the highest difficulty.
“According to preliminary information, there are no casualties or injuries. I control the situation.
“Firefighters, the Ministry of Emergency Situations and other emergency services were deployed.
“Everything is being done to prevent the fire from spreading further. There is no threat to the inhabitants of the village.’
The fire started after a drone — believed to be from Ukraine — dropped explosives into one of the fuel tanks, according to Russian pro-Kremlin outlet Readovka — despite the location being some 170 miles from the nearest Ukrainian-held territory.
A suspected Ukrainian drone strike was behind the blast shortly after 2 a.m., reports say
A giant explosion hit an oil storage depot close to the main bridge connecting Russia to the annexed Crimea peninsula
Spectacular flames erupted from the tank after the suspected Ukrainian drone strike
Eyewitnesses told the news that they heard two explosions before the blaze broke out, which engulfed nearly 13,000 square feet in flames. In the early hours of the morning, 85 firefighters were fighting the blaze.
The latest suspected drone attack came a day after a blast hit the Black Sea port village of Vilna and destroyed an oil depot.
A day earlier, on Tuesday, saboteurs derailed a freight train carrying 20 oil tankers on the Snezhetskaya-Belye Berega line.
According to reports, it was carrying oil and fluorosilicic acid and timber.
And on Monday, saboteurs again derailed a Russian freight train and destroyed power cables with explosives.
The train, which was carrying oil and construction materials, burst into flames after an explosion on the tracks in the Bryansk region, 60 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
Video taken shortly after the attack showed several destroyed carriages ablaze and lying on their sides, with dark gray smoke billowing into the sky.
Local governor Alexander Bogomaz said the explosive detonated “on the 136th kilometer” of the railway between Bryansk and the city of Unecha – a route used for transporting Moscow’s military supplies.
A Russian freight train derailed and burst into flames today after an explosive device exploded on the track just 60 kilometers from the Ukrainian border on Monday.
Video shows several wrecked oil tanker wagons on fire and lying on their sides after the blast, with dark gray smoke seeping into the sky Monday
According to Russian authorities, the region, which borders both Ukraine and Belarus, has seen multiple attacks by pro-Ukrainian sabotage groups in the 14 months since the Russian invasion.
Separately, the governor of Russia’s Leningrad region near St. Petersburg said a power line was blown up on Monday and an explosive device was found near a second line.
Shortly after midnight, an explosion caused the main power lines to collapse and officials said the attack was sabotage.
Governor Alexander Drozdenko posted pictures of destroyed power lines and metal supports near the village of Susanino on his Telegram page Monday morning.
On Saturday, a drone strike led to an explosion and a giant fireball at an oil installation in Sevastopol, the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in occupied Crimea.
Separately, the governor of Russia’s Leningrad region near St. Petersburg said a power line was blown up on Monday and an explosive device was found near a second line.
The sabotage attacks came as Kiev prepares for a widely anticipated counter-offensive this spring, with Ukraine building up its mechanized brigades with armor supplied by its Western allies.
Ukraine almost never publicly claims responsibility for attacks in Russia and on Russian-controlled territory.
However, Ukrainian intelligence chief Major General Kyrylo Budanov has previously said that some incidents in Russia are orchestrated by Ukraine.
“A lot of this is no coincidence,” he said. “Something is constantly on fire (in Russia).
‘Signal equipment on the track, which burns several times a day, traffic is at a standstill on various highways for two to three hours, sometimes five to six hours.’
He admitted that Kiev is behind some sabotage attacks. “Obviously it doesn’t just happen… I’d put it this way: money works wonders.”
