Ukrainian drone attack on Russia ignites fuel depots
by AFP Staff Writers
Moscow (AFP) Mar 12, 2024
Ukraine launched more than two dozen drones at Russia overnight, officials said, with fires breaking out at two fuel depots and some of the projectiles reaching deep into Russian territory.

Russia's defence ministry said on Tuesday it had destroyed 25 drones overnight, including two in the Moscow region, one in the Leningrad region to the north, 11 each in the Ukraine border regions of Belgorod and Kursk, and one in another border region of Bryansk.

Drone attacks also set fuel depots ablaze in the towns of Oryol, some 160 kilometres (99 miles) and 828 kilometres, respectively, from the Ukraine border.

In Kstovo a fuel and energy complex was attacked by drones, according to the regional governor.

"Now the special services are working on the spot, using all the necessary forces and means to localise the fire at one of the oil refining installations," Gleb Nikitin said on messaging app Telegram.

"According to preliminary data, no victims."

Earlier in Oryol, a drone crashed into a fuel depot and ignited a fire, according to the region's governor.

"A fuel and energy complex facility was attacked. Special services are working on the spot to contain the fire. There were no casualties," Andrey Klychkov wrote on the messaging app Telegram.

Local media reported the attack occurred at around 3:00 am local time (0000 GMT).

According to an emergency services official quoted by Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, a tank containing petroleum products caught fire.

Ukrainian drones also attacked the Russian region of Belgorod, near the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, on Monday night, causing no injuries, according to that region's governor.

"Belgorod region was attacked by the Ukrainian Armed Forces using UAVs, which dropped 4 explosive devices. There were no casualties as a result of the explosions, but there was damage to the power line," Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram.

According to Gladkov, seven communities were without electricity as a result of the attack.

Since the start of the conflict in February 2022, the Ukrainian army has succeeded in carrying out drone attacks further and further inside Russian territory.

On Saturday, Russia claimed to have destroyed 47 Ukrainian drones overnight, mainly in the region of Rostov-on-Don, bordering Ukraine, an attack that may have targeted an aircraft factory among other targets.

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