A blaze at an oil depot in the town of Azov in Russia’s southern Rostov region has been raging for more than 24 hours, according to local emergency services. The fire broke out after a drone attack early on Tuesday, which a Ukraine intelligence source said was carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
Several oil storage tanks were engulfed in the fire, which the emergency services reported had been localized to an area of 3,200 square meters as of 5:30 am GMT on Wednesday. The source told Reuters that the attack struck the Azovskaya and Azovnefteprodukt depots, which have a total of 22 fuel tanks.
Kyiv has often stated that targeting Russia’s energy, military, and transport infrastructure is a way to undermine Moscow’s military efforts. The town of Azov is situated on the Don River, about 10 miles from the Sea of Azov.
This latest attack on Russian oil facilities comes as the conflict between Ukraine and Russia continues. Kyiv has been increasingly focusing on critical infrastructure as a means of disrupting Russia’s military operations, with the drone strike on the Azov oil depot being the latest example.
The ongoing fire at the depot highlights the vulnerability of Russia’s energy infrastructure to such attacks, which can have a significant impact on the country’s ability to supply and distribute oil and refined products. As the conflict drags on, further attacks on Russian energy facilities are likely to be a continued tactic employed by Ukraine to weaken its adversary.