Ukraine Causes MAJOR Fires At Crimean Oil Depot – Hundreds Evacuated

Ukraine hit Russian forces very hard recently, striking an oil depot in the disputed Crimean territory that was occupied by the Russians in 2014.

A Ukrainian drone strike on October 7 ignited a massive fire at the largest fuel depot in Russian-occupied Crimea, located in the port city of Feodosia. The early morning attack, part of Ukraine’s ongoing efforts to undermine Russian military logistics, triggered explosions and led to the evacuation of hundreds of residents. The fuel depot is critical for supplying the occupying Russian military, making it a high-value target for Ukraine amid the ongoing conflict.

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According to reports from Russian Telegram channels, local residents heard several powerful explosions around 4:30 a.m., followed by a rapidly spreading fire. Video footage shared on social media purportedly showed the fire, with onlookers exclaiming, “Such explosions! They did hit the oil depot after all.” The video depicted a road sign for the nearby village of Berehove, close to Feodosia, confirming the location of the strike.

Russian-installed officials in Crimea, including the region’s chief, Igor Tkachenko, confirmed that a fuel depot had caught fire. However, they refrained from acknowledging the Ukrainian drone strike, instead stating that the fire was being managed. Tkachenko’s adviser, Oleg Kryuchkov, reported no casualties as a result of the blaze, which prompted the evacuation of approximately 300 people from Feodosia, a city of about 70,000 residents.

Russian state news agency TASS, citing local authorities, provided further details about the evacuation but avoided mentioning any direct attacks, likely to downplay the impact of the strike. However, the extent of the damage remains unclear, as the fuel depot is one of the most important logistical hubs for the Russian military stationed in Crimea.

The Ukrainian General Staff claimed responsibility for the strike, labeling it a successful operation targeting the Russian military’s fuel supply in Crimea. Ukraine has increasingly resorted to drone strikes on Russian military facilities, including those inside Russia, as part of its broader counteroffensive strategy. These strikes aim to disrupt Russia’s supply chains and weaken its ability to continue waging war in Ukraine.

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Russia’s Ministry of Defense responded by claiming that its air defense systems had shot down 21 Ukrainian drones on the same day. Twelve of those were reportedly intercepted over Crimea, while the others were downed over Russia’s Kursk, Belgorod, Bryansk, and Voronezh regions. Despite these claims, the fire in Feodosia indicates that at least some drones reached their intended targets, dealing a blow to Russian military operations.

The drone strike on Feodosia’s fuel depot is part of Ukraine’s larger effort to disrupt Russian logistics and weaken its war efforts. In recent months, Ukrainian forces have launched multiple drone strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, including oil refineries and fuel depots. These attacks have targeted facilities that are vital to Russia’s war machine, aiming to hinder the flow of fuel and other resources necessary for military operations.

This latest attack comes amid a wider exchange of drone strikes between Russia and Ukraine, as both sides seek to leverage drone technology to gain the upper hand in the conflict. Russian forces have relentlessly bombarded Ukraine’s civilian and energy infrastructure with drones and missiles since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, causing widespread destruction and civilian casualties. Ukraine, in turn, has used drones to strike military facilities on Russian soil, including airfields, ammunition depots, and fuel storage sites.

Ukraine’s use of drones has been particularly effective in targeting Russian military resources far from the front lines. By hitting key logistical hubs like the Feodosia fuel depot, Ukraine aims to disrupt the Russian military’s ability to sustain its occupation of Crimea and other Ukrainian territories. These strikes are also part of a broader strategy to force Russia to stretch its resources thin, defending a wide array of military installations across multiple regions.

As the conflict continues, the exchange of drone strikes between Russia and Ukraine is likely to escalate further. Both countries have increasingly relied on drones for reconnaissance and attack missions, viewing them as cost-effective and efficient tools in the ongoing war. The strike on Feodosia underscores the growing importance of drone warfare in modern conflicts and highlights the vulnerability of key military infrastructure to these types of attacks.

In the aftermath of the strike, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal held talks with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, whose government has been hesitant to provide military aid to Ukraine. As Kyiv continues to seek support from its Western allies, strikes like the one in Feodosia serve as a reminder of the ongoing intensity of the conflict and the critical need for continued international assistance in Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression.