An overnight Ukrainian drone attack on annexed Crimea caused a fire to erupt at a major oil depot, Kremlin-installed authorities said early Monday.
Crimea Governor Sergei Aksyonov said air defense systems downed more than 20 drones as they attacked a fuel base in the port city of Feodosia, where he confirmed a fire had broken out.
Aksyonov said emergency crews were dispatched to the Feodosia oil terminal, adding that no one was reported injured or killed in the air attack.
Several Telegram channels shared video footage of what was said to be the burning oil terminal after the drone assault. NASA’s fire information system showed multiple active fires at the site of the Feodosia terminal.
The Feodosia oil terminal, located roughly 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the front line in Ukraine, was set ablaze earlier this month following a drone attack. With a capacity of up to 250,000 tons, it is the peninsula’s largest oil storage and transshipment hub.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said Monday that its air defense systems destroyed over 100 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 40 over annexed Crimea and more than 20 over the Black and Azov seas. Later on Monday, the ministry said 16 more Ukrainian drones had been intercepted over Crimea.
Ukraine has escalated its drone campaign against Russia’s oil and gas infrastructure in recent weeks in a bid to sap the earnings Moscow depends on to finance its war. The strikes have pushed wholesale gasoline prices to record highs and caused fuel shortages across the country.
Last week, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief claimed that his forces had reduced Russia’s oil-processing capacity by 21%.
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