Media: Fire erupts at oil depot in southern Russia following drone attack PHOTO/VIDEO

A major fire broke out at an oil storage facility in the southern Russian city of Ust-Labinsk following a drone attack, according to local emergency services and open-source intelligence (OSINT) analysts by ASTRA.

The blaze engulfed an area of approximately 5,000 square metres, the Unified Emergency Dispatch Service said, adding that no casualties had been reported.

Based on video footage circulated by the Exilenova+ Telegram channel, an OSINT analyst from ASTRA identified the burning facility as the Poltava Oil Depot, located in Ust-Labinsk in Russia’s Krasnodar region.

“A fire broke out as a result of a UAV attack on the territory of Poltavskaya Oil Depot OJSC in the city of Ust-Labinsk. According to preliminary information, there are no casualties,” the dispatch service said in a statement.

Russian authorities have not immediately provided additional details regarding the extent of the damage or whether air defense systems engaged the drones before the attack.

The Poltava Oil Depot is a regional fuel distribution facility serving consumers in Krasnodar Krai and the neighboring Republic of Adygea. The site includes a tank farm with 28 storage tanks and a total capacity of nearly 15,000 cubic metres.

The depot supplies a range of petroleum products, including AI-92 and AI-95 gasoline, several grades of diesel fuel, TS-1 aviation kerosene, fuel oil, and liquefied gas products.

By Sabina Mammadli