Ukraine hits Russian oil depot “in retaliation” for Moscow strikes
- 19 January, 03:13
Ukraine has claimed responsibility for the inferno that broke out at an oil depot in Russia’s west on Friday.
The attack targeted a large oil facility in the town of Klintsy in Russia's western Bryansk region on the border with Ukraine. Four oil reservoirs with a total capacity of 6,000 cubic meters were set on fire during the attack that was carried out by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry.
Regional governor Alexander Bogomaz said that the Russian military brought down the Ukrainian assault drones in the area.
"An aeroplane-style drone was brought down by the defence ministry using radio-electronic means. When the aerial target was destroyed, its munitions were dropped on the territory of the Klintsy oil depot," the governor wrote on the Telegram messaging platform.
He further said that four oil tankers were burning in Klintsy, the town of 60,000 inhabitants. “For safety reasons 32 residents of the private sector were temporarily evacuated to relatives. A temporary accommodation centre has been prepared,” he noted. Bogomaz posted a video that showed firefighting operations at the storage tanks, at least one of which looked to have been badly damaged. No casualties have been reported at the facility.
The attack is the latest in Ukraine’s intensified attacks inside Russian territory. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pledged to hit more targets inside Russian border regions this year. The attacks in Russia are also aimed at undermining Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claims that life in Russia was going on as normal before its March 17 presidential election.
In a similar attack on Thursday, a Ukrainian drone was downed on the outskirts of Russia’s St. Petersburg city.
