Drone strikes, damage and fire at Russian oil refinery

2024-06-06 17:04:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Suspected Ukrainian drone strikes set fire to two Russian oil refineries in two regions bordering Ukraine on Thursday morning.

These attacks were carried out at a time when Russia is continuing attacks against civilian targets in some Ukrainian regions.

A drone attack on an oil refinery in Novoshakhtinsk, in Russia's Rostov region, caused a fire, forcing the company to halt work, regional governor Vasily Golubev said.

"The work was suspended due to the repetition of the attack. Personnel were evacuated to a safe distance," Golubev was quoted as saying by local Telegram channels.

The fire engulfed an area of ??100 square meters, Golubev said, adding that there were no deaths or injuries, according to initial reports.

The SHOT Telegram channel, citing witnesses, reported that several loud explosions were heard in Novoshakhtinsk in the early hours of Thursday, then smoke and fire were seen in the area of ??the oil refinery.

This was the third attack on the oil refinery in the city of Novoshakhtinsk, which is located about 10 kilometers from the border with Ukraine. The last two attacks in March and April also forced the company to stop work, according to Russian media.

Meanwhile, Belgorod regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported that a drone strike on an oil depot in Stary Oskol, about 100 kilometers from the border with Ukraine, had caught fire.

"The Armed Forces of Ukraine, using a kamikaze drone, attacked an oil depot in the territory of Stray Oskol district. As a result of the explosion, one of the tanks caught fire. Four firefighters extinguished the fire quickly. There are no victims," ??said Gladkov.

Kiev has not commented on these reports, which could not be independently verified.

Russia has repeatedly attacked civilian and energy infrastructure with drones and missiles since it began its invasion in 2022, causing heavy casualties, including civilians, as well as extensive material damage.

Kiev has responded with drone attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, mainly oil refineries, with the aim of destroying fuel reserves for the Russian military.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Air Force said its anti-aircraft guns shot down 17 of 18 drones that Russia attacked in Mykolaiv, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Khmelnytskyi regions on June 6.

Serhiz Lzsak, the governor of the southern Dnipropetrovsk region, said a Russian drone struck a passenger minibus in the city of Nikopol, injuring four people and causing a fire./ REL