Fire at Russian oil depot near Ukrainian border
A huge blaze has broken out at a Russian oil depot on Wednesday morning in the southwestern region of Bryansk, some 70 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. A media report suggests that a drone may have been involved in the incident.
The fire in the Surazh district was reported by regional governor, Aleksandr Bogomaz, on his official Telegram channel at 6:00 am local time. He said that the blaze had spread to an area of 1,800 square meters. Russia’s Emergency Services dispatched over 80 firefighters and equipment, including a fire train, to the scene.
By 9:30 am the fire had been localized and was completely extinguished an hour later. No casualties have been reported.
An unnamed source within Russia’s emergency services told the Izvestiya news outlet that the fire may have been caused by an unidentified explosive munition dropped from a drone. The source claimed that before the fire broke out there were reports of a loud bang.
It’s reported that the five-thousand-ton oil storage facility was completely full at the time of the incident and the blaze later spread to another two nearby reservoirs of a similar capacity.
No official reason for the incident has yet been announced, but federal investigators have been dispatched to the area, according to the governor. He also reported that shelling by Kiev forces had caused blackouts in the Suzemsky district, which is just 10 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
Russian territories neighboring Ukraine, such as the Bryansk and Belgorod Regions have repeatedly come under attack since Moscow launched its military offensive against its neighbor in late February.
Earlier this month, a Ukrainian drone attacked another oil terminal in Russia’s Oryol Region, some 200 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
Russian regions neighboring Ukraine were placed on heightened alert last month. The move gives local officials additional authority to ensure security and react rapidly to any emergencies.
