Moscow (TDI): A Ukrainian drone attack in western Russia caused a fuel spill and fire at an oil depot, the governor of Russia’s Smolensk region said on Tuesday.
Governor Vasily Anokhin stated that Russian air defense systems intercepted a Ukrainian drone strike in the Yartsevo district.
He reported that debris from one of the drones landed on the oil depot, triggering a fuel spill and a subsequent fire in the fuel and lubricants.
Emergency services responded to the incident, and Anokhin assured residents that there was “no threat” to nearby residential areas.
The Russian defense ministry announced that 68 Ukrainian drones were intercepted overnight, with 10 shot down in the Smolensk region alone.
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Ukrainian forces have targeted several Russian energy facilities during the ongoing conflict, which began nearly three years ago.
Kyiv has described these strikes as justified retaliation for Moscow’s widespread attacks on Ukraine’s power grid.
Border regions in Russia frequently come under Ukrainian aerial attack, with both sides intensifying their offensives in recent months.
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The drone strike occurred just a day after Russia and Ukraine conducted a prisoner exchange, swapping more than 300 soldiers in an operation mediated by the United Arab Emirates ahead of New Year’s Eve.
- Since the conflict began in February 2022, prisoner exchanges have remained one of the few areas of cooperation between the two nations.
