Massive explosion in Crimea – Ukraine destroys Russian fuel storage facility with drones

Authorities say a large fuel depot caught fire as a result of a drone strike on Russia’s Black Sea peninsula of Crimea. It was an alert level four fire – “the most serious of all possible,” Governor Mikhail Rasvozhayev wrote on his Telegram channel. The flames in the port city of Sebastopol have now covered an area of ​​about 1,000 square meters. There were no deaths or injuries. Civilian objects were also not damaged. However, according to Ukrainian military intelligence, ten oil tanks were destroyed.

The explosion in the city of Sevastopol, where the base of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet is located, took place early Saturday morning. According to Rasvozhayev, it was caused by a drone strike. There was conflicting information about the number of drones used. Russian military bloggers wrote about up to ten flying objects, later there was talk of up to six Mugin-5 Pro drones. These drones can carry between 20 and 25 kilograms of explosives for a flight duration of up to seven hours.

At the same time as the attack on Sevastopol, objects in Crimea were also attacked, the Moscow governor of the peninsula, Sergei Axyonov, claimed. However, two drones were intercepted by the air defense.

According to Rasvozhayev, the remains of two drones were found near the fuel tank itself. But only one reached the tank farm, the other was shot down as it approached.

The flames were extinguished in the afternoon. Due to the intensity of the fire, dozens of fire engines and even a railway fire truck were deployed. There are different reports on the extent of the damage. The fire was located in four reservoirs, Raswoshayev told Russian media.

Ukrainian military intelligence, in turn, spoke of ten destroyed oil tanks. “Their total volume is about 40,000 tons,” says spokesman Andriy Yussow. “This is God’s punishment especially for the dead civilians in Uman, including five children,” he said, referring to a Russian missile strike the night before. A Russian missile hit a residential building in Uman, killing 23 people.

Kiev, in particular, has not accepted responsibility for the attack in Sevastopol. At the same time, Yussow stressed that these explosions continued. The officer advised the people of Crimea to stay away from military objects. According to him, the fuel reservoir served the Russian Black Sea Fleet. The Russian Defense Ministry, meanwhile, has released footage of ships in the fleet firing Kalibr missiles at targets in Ukraine.

Preparation for counter-offensive

Given the Ukrainian counter-offensive, which had been expected for weeks, some observers saw the airstrike as preparation for this offensive. “The enemy is looking for gaps in our air defenses and is using drones for that,” Yuri Knutov, the director of the anti-aircraft museum, told Russian media. Such attacks could increase during the May holiday to damage logistics and Russian supply lines, he warned. The Ukrainians used a similar tactic to prepare their offensive last summer. At that time, the Russian army was significantly weakened by the bombardment of important fuel depots and ammunition depots in the hinterland by Himar missiles.

In response, Knutov called for massive attacks on the Ukrainian cities of Mykolaiv and Ochakiv, where the Ukrainian fleet is based. “Kiev must recognize that our retaliatory strikes are much more painful than their attacks,” the military expert said. Given the Russian missile terror against Ukrainian cities that has been going on since the fall, it is unlikely that Kiev will be deterred from further attacks.

More than 14 months after the start of the offensive war against Ukraine, Russia has failed to achieve its strategic goals. However, including Crimea, which was annexed in 2014, Moscow still controls about 20 percent of Ukraine’s territory. Kiev now wants to reclaim more areas with an expected major offensive. (sda/dpa)