KYIV, Ukraine — An oil depot caught fire in Russia’s southwestern Rostov region Saturday following a Ukrainian drone attack in the early hours, local officials said, in the latest long-range strike by Kyiv’s forces on a border region.
Ukraine has in recent months stepped up aerial assaults on Russian soil, targeting refineries and oil terminals in an effort to slow down the Kremlin’s war machine. Moscow’s army is pressing hard along the front line in eastern Ukraine, where a shortage of troops and ammunition in the third year of war has made defenders vulnerable.
Rostov regional Gov. Vasily Golubev said a drone attack had caused a blaze spanning 200 square meters (2,100 square feet), but there were no casualties. Some five hours after he reported the fire on Telegram, Golubev said the fire had been extinguished.
In addition to two drones being intercepted over the Rostov region, Russian air defense systems overnight destroyed two drones over the country’s western Kursk and Belgorod regions, the Russian Ministry of Defense said Saturday.
Ukraine’s air defenses, meanwhile, intercepted four of the five drones launched by Russia overnight, the Ukrainian Air Force said Saturday morning. Mykola Oleschuk, commander of Ukraine’s Air Forces, said the fifth drone left Ukrainian airspace in the direction of Belarus.
In other developments, Vadym Filashkin, the Ukrainian governor of the partly occupied eastern Donetsk region, said Saturday that Russian attacks on Friday had killed six people and wounded a further 22.
Oleksandr Prokudin, governor of the Kherson region that is also partly occupied, said Saturday that one person had been killed and six wounded as a result of Russian shelling over the previous day.
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A fire broke out at a Russian oil depot in the city of Belgorod on Tuesday, amid escalating drone attacks between Russia and Ukraine. The incident has raised concerns about the potential for further violence in the region, as tensions between the two countries continue to rise.
The fire at the oil depot, which is owned by the Russian state-owned oil company Rosneft, reportedly started after a series of drone attacks targeted the facility. The exact cause of the fire is still under investigation, but authorities suspect that it may have been deliberately set as part of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
The drone attacks, which have been attributed to Ukrainian forces, have been increasing in frequency and intensity in recent weeks. The attacks have targeted a number of key infrastructure sites in Russia, including oil refineries, power plants, and military installations.
The Russian government has condemned the drone attacks as acts of terrorism and has vowed to retaliate against those responsible. Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Russia will not hesitate to use military force to defend its territory and protect its interests.
The situation in Ukraine remains tense, with ongoing fighting between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists in the eastern part of the country. The conflict has already claimed thousands of lives and displaced millions of people, and there are fears that it could escalate further if not resolved soon.
The international community has called for a peaceful resolution to the conflict, with many countries urging both Russia and Ukraine to engage in dialogue and find a diplomatic solution. The United Nations has also expressed concern about the situation and called for an immediate ceasefire to prevent further bloodshed.
As the situation continues to unfold, it is clear that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is far from over. The fire at the Russian oil depot is just the latest in a series of incidents that have heightened tensions between the two countries, and there are fears that further violence could erupt if the situation is not resolved quickly.
In the meantime, residents in the region are being urged to remain vigilant and take precautions to ensure their safety in case of further attacks. The international community is closely monitoring the situation and working to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict before it spirals out of control.
