Current:Home > MyRussia oil depot hit by Ukrainian drone in flames as Ukraine steps up attacks ahead of war's 2-year mark-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Russia oil depot hit by Ukrainian drone in flames as Ukraine steps up attacks ahead of war's 2-year mark
View Date:2024-12-24 22:12:48
A Ukrainian drone struck an oil storage depot in western Russia on Friday, causing a massive blaze, officials said, as Kyiv's forces apparently extended their attacks on Russian soil ahead of the war's two-year anniversary. Four oil reservoirs with a total capacity of 1.6 million gallons were set on fire when the drone reached Klintsy, a city of some 70,000 people located about 40 miles from the Ukrainian border, according to the local governor and state news agency Tass.
The strike apparently was the latest in a recently intensified effort by Ukraine to unnerve Russians and undermine President Vladimir Putin's claim that life in Russia is going on as normal before its March 17 presidential election.
- Woman convicted of killing Russian pro-war blogger faces 28 year sentence
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has vowed to hit more targets inside Russian border regions this year. Russia's air defenses are concentrated in occupied regions of Ukraine, Kyiv officials say, leaving more distant targets inside Russia more vulnerable as Ukrainian forces develop longer-range drones.
The Russian city of Belgorod, also near the Ukrainian border, canceled its traditional Orthodox Epiphany festivities on Friday due to the threat of Ukrainian drone strikes. It was the first time major public events were known to have been called off in Russia due to the drone threat.
Ukrainian national media, quoting an official in Ukraine's Intelligence Service, said Ukrainian drones on Friday also attacked a gunpowder mill in Tambov, about 370 miles south of Moscow.
But Tambov Gov. Maxim Yegorov said the plant was working normally, according to Russia's RBC news outlet. The Mash news outlet had earlier reported that a Ukrainian drone fell on the plant's premises Thursday but caused no damage.
- U.S. veteran wounded in Ukraine war urges Congress to back funding
In another strike fitting the pattern, the Russian Defense Ministry said a Ukrainian drone was downed on the outskirts of St. Petersburg on Thursday.
The drone wreckage fell on the premises of the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal on the city's southern edge, according to Vladimir Rogov, who is in charge of coordination of the Russian-annexed regions of Ukraine. Mikhail Skigin, the terminal co-owner, confirmed that the drone was targeting the terminal.
St. Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city, is about 560 miles north of the border with Ukraine.
In Klintsy, air defenses electronically jammed the drone but it dropped its explosive payload on the facility, Bryansk regional Gov. Alexander Bogomaz said. There were no casualties, he added.
Russian telegram channels shared videos of what they said was the blaze at the depot, which sent thick black plumes of smoke into the air. The fire is hard to put out and requires specialist equipment, Bogomaz said, adding that 32 people were evacuated from homes near the depot.
The same depot was struck by a Ukrainian drone in May last year, but the damage apparently was less significant.
Meanwhile, Russian shelling in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region killed a 57-year-old woman and a land mine there killed a man, the Ukrainian president's office reported Friday.
- In:
- War
- Ukraine
- Russia
- Drone
- Vladimir Putin
- Volodymyr Zelenskyy
veryGood! (895)
Related
- Bohannan requests a recount in Iowa’s close congressional race as GOP wins control of House
- Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn arrested in 2021 after groping complaints at club, police records show
- Charles Williams: The Risk Dynamo Redefining Finance
- Coach owner Tapestry to acquire parent company of Michael Kors, Versace in $8.5 billion deal
- Chipotle unveils cilantro-scented soap, 'water' cup candles in humorous holiday gift line
- Atlanta area doctor, hospital sued after baby allegedly decapitated during birth
- Nevada legislators reject use of federal coronavirus funds for private school scholarships
- Missing man found alive, his dad still missing and 2 bodies recovered in Arizona case
- Isiah Pacheco injury updates: When will Chiefs RB return?
- The Wealth Architect: John Anderson's Journey in Finance and Investment
Ranking
- Beyoncé has released lots of new products. Here's a Beyhive gift guide for the holidays
- Who Is Lil Tay? Everything to Know About the Teen Rapper at Center of Death Hoax
- Bodies pile up without burials in Sudan’s capital, marooned by a relentless conflict
- U.S. nurse Alix Dorsainvil and daughter released after kidnap in Haiti, Christian group says
- Louisiana House greenlights Gov. Jeff Landry’s tax cuts
- No Gatekeeping: Here’s the Trick I’ve Used Since 2016 To Eliminate Ingrown Hairs and Razor Bumps
- Salma Paralluelo's extra-time goal puts Spain into World Cup semifinals for first time
- Police fatally shoot armed man in northeast Arkansas, but his family says he was running away
Recommendation
-
Former West Virginia jail officer pleads guilty to civil rights violation in fatal assault on inmate
-
Two years after fall of Kabul, tens of thousands of Afghans languish in limbo waiting for US visas
-
Kenosha police arrested a Black man at Applebee’s. The actual suspects were in the bathroom
-
Tensions rise as West African nations prepare to send troops to restore democracy in Niger
-
Army veteran reunites with his K9 companion, who served with him in Afghanistan
-
Pink Concertgoer Names Baby in Singer’s Honor After Going Into Labor at Show
-
Toyota recalls: Toyota Tundra, Hybrid pickups recalled for fuel leak, fire concerns
-
Writers Guild of America to resume negotiations with studios amid ongoing writers strike