Massive fire erupts in Crimea after Ukrainian drones strike oil depot

A massive fire broke out at an oil depot in Crimea Saturday after it was hit by two Ukrainian drones, according to a Russia-appointed official stationed at the area.

This is the latest in a series of strikes on the occupied peninsula as Russia braces for an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive.

The Moscow-installed governor of Sevastopol, a port city in Crimea,
Mikhail Razvozhayev, said the fire at the city’s harbor was assigned the highest ranking in terms of how complicated it will be to extinguish. However, he reported that the open blaze had been contained.

Razvozhayev said the oil depot was attacked by “two enemy drones,” and four oil tanks burned down. A third drone was shot down from the sky over Crimea, and one more was deactivated through radio-electronic means, according to Crimea’s Moscow-appointed governor, Sergei Aksyonov.

Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, a move that most of the world considered illegal. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview this week that his country will seeking to reclaim the peninsula in the upcoming counteroffensive.

The incident comes a day after Russia fired more than 20 cruise missiles and two drones at Ukraine, killing at least 23 people. Almost all of the victims died when two missiles slammed into an apartment building in the city of Uman, located in central Ukraine.

Five children were among the dead, Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said Saturday, adding 22 out 23 bodies have been identified. One woman remained missing, Klymenko said.

Russian forces launched more drones at Ukraine overnight. Ukraine’s Air Force Command said two Iranian-made self-exploding Shahed drones were intercepted, and a reconnaissance drone was shot down on Saturday morning.

Razvozhayev said the oil depot fire did not cause any casualties and would not hinder fuel supplies in Sevastopol. The city has been subject to regular attack attempts with drones, especially in recent weeks.