Russia blames drone attack for Crimea fuel depot blaze

On the peninsula where Russia's Black Sea Fleet is stationed, in the city of Sevastopol, a massive fire broke out at a fuel store.

According to the city's governor, who was placed by Moscow, a drone attack started a fire at a gasoline storage facility in the Crimean port of Sevastopol, which before it was put out, sent a huge column of black smoke into the sky.

According to Mikhail Razvozhaev on Saturday, when experts studied the area, "it became clear that only one drone was able to reach the oil reservoir."

He said that no one had been hurt in the fire and that the debris of a downed drone was discovered close to the terminal.

 

 

According to a Ukrainian military intelligence officer, more than 10 oil tanks with a combined capacity of around 40,000 tonnes that were destined for the Russian Black Sea Fleet were destroyed.

In remarks obtained by RBC, Andriy Yusov did not blame Ukraine for the explosion; rather, he called it "God's punishment" for a Russian attack on a Ukrainian city on Friday.

"This penalty will endure a long time. It is preferable for everyone living in temporarily occupied Crimea to avoid being close to military installations and infrastructure that serve the aggressor's army in the near future, Yusov was cited as saying by RBC.

A representative for the Ukrainian military had earlier claimed he had no evidence suggesting that Ukraine was to blame for the incident.

Since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Sevastopol has been the target of numerous airstrikes. In response to a global uproar, Kiev has repeatedly stated its aim to recover the Crimean Peninsula from Russia.

In reaction to earlier strikes on Crimea, Ukraine has refrained from publicly claiming credit but has highlighted that it has the right to retaliate against Russian aggression against any target.

On Monday, Razvozhayev said that a second drone had burst and that the Russian military had destroyed a Ukrainian surface sea drone that had attempted to assault the harbour. He said that other than smashed windows in multiple apartment complexes, there was no additional damage caused by the explosions.