Oil depot on fire in Russian region bordering Ukraine

A fire broke out on Monday morning at an oil depot in Bryansk, a large Russian city around 150km from Ukraine, and 370km south-west of Moscow. 

The blaze occurred at a premises operated by Transneft-Druzhba JSC and at another location, officials told RIA Novosti. No casualties have been reported and there is no threat to residential buildings, the Ministry of Emergency Situations has advised. 

“The evacuation of the population is not planned. According to preliminary information, there were no victims,” its press service stated, according to TASS. Local residents have reported that explosions were heard and sirens are audible in social media videos.

Another fire was recorded in the Fokinsky district of the city, the causes of which have not yet been established, Moscow daily Kommersant has reported. Bryansk is home to over 400,000 people, and is an important regional hub.

An Interfax source revealed that a 10,000-ton tank of diesel fuel was ignited. State-owned Rossiya-24 TV has suggested that the second object that caught fire was a diesel fuel depot in a military unit.

Before Monday’s incident, officials in Bryansk Region had warned of a potential terrorist threat. Similar fears were announced in parts of Voronezh Region and the entirety of the smaller Belgorod Region, where Ukraine was accused of shelling an oil depot earlier this month. The incidents come as the Russian military offensive – which began on February 24 – continues in the neighboring state.

Also overnight, the governor of Kursk Region, Roman Starovoit, claimed that a Russian air defense system had shot down two Ukrainian drones in the sky over the village of Borovskoye.