Oil depot in Russia’s Oryol Oblast on fire during ‘massive’ Ukrainian drone strike, governor says

On December 22, 2024By Littum

Editor’s note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

A “massive” Ukrainian drone strike targeted an oil depot near the city of Oryol in western Russia overnight, causing a fire at the site, Oryol Oblast Governor Andrey Klychkov reported on December 22.

Klychkov claimed that Russian forces shot down 20 drones over Oryol Oblast targeting fuel and energy infrastructure facilities. Local authorities reported the attack around 1 a.m. local time.

Videos posted on social media and recorded by local residents show large explosions lights up the night sky in the city. The extent of the damage was not immediately clear.

Klychkov claimed that there were no reported injuries or casualties as a result of the attack.

Video of an alleged drone attack on an oil depot in the suburbs of the Russian city of Oryol. Explosions are seen amid active Russian air defenses. (Vchkogpu/Telegram)

The Kyiv Independent cannot confirm the claims made by Russian officials, and Ukraine’s military has yet to comment on the attack.

The attack comes just a week after Ukrainian drones struck same oil depot, which caused a large fire to break out. The fire reportedly burned for several days after the attack. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said after the December 14 attack that the depot in the village of Stalnoy Kon is among the largest oil product terminals in Russia and is “part of the Russian military-industrial complex that provides supplies of oil products to the Russian army.”

Over the past year, Ukrainian forces have launched a series of drone strikes aimed at damaging Russia’s oil industry, which is vital to maintaining Moscow’s war effort, as well as its military hardware.

As Russia’s full-scale invasion continues, Ukraine has also continued to attack Russian targets along the Russia-Ukraine border to damage the country’s military supply chain.

Earlier on December 21, Ukrainian drones were supposed to the attack the Russian city of Kazan, located over 1,000 km from the border between Russia and Ukraine. The drones hit several buildings and canceled flights at the local airport.