22 June 2024

Russia's Azov Sea Oil Refinery Engulfed in Flames after Drone Strikes

Isabel van Brugen

Videos circulating on social media appear to show oil storage tanks engulfed in flames after a drone attack in the town of Azov in Russia's Rostov region.

Vasily Golubev, governor of the southern Rostov region, said on Telegram that a drone attack caused a blaze. There were no casualties and there was "no risk of the fire spreading to other facilities, or threats to residents," he said.

Several Telegram channels and Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry posted videos of the incident. The ministry said a fuel tank had caught fire and that it had spread across an "area of 5,000 cubic meters."

The Context

Kyiv typically refrains from claiming responsibility for strikes on Russian territory. But beginning this year, Ukraine ramped up attacks on Russia's energy infrastructure, targeting oil refineries and hubs with its drones as part of a campaign to hamper gasoline production, which fuels President Vladimir Putin's war economy.

hat We Know

"Oil product tanks caught fire in Azov as a result of a drone attack. According to preliminary data, there were no casualties," Golubev said on Telegram.

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