Giant blast hits Russia: Flames erupt into the sky as ‘Ukrainian drone attack’ strikes oil depot close to key Crimean bridge

• A suspected Ukrainian drone attack was behind the blast at oil storage depot 

An oil storage depot in Russia exploded in a towering inferno today after a drone attack thought to have been orchestrated by Ukraine.

One tank containing tonnes of fuel erupted into flames around 2am this morning in the port at Volna village on the Black Sea – close to the key bridge linking Russia to the annexed peninsula Crimea.

Spectacular flames erupted following the suspected Ukrainian drone strike, with a huge plume of noxious dark smoke seen rising after dawn from the Taman seaport.

A witness said: ‘Something exploded at 2am. There was a sound of hissing in the air, and a drone trace in the sky. Now it’s burning. Oil or something else is burning.’

The strike – the latest in a rising tide of apparent strikes by Ukraine on Russian territory – was only six miles from the Kerch Bridge built by Vladimir Putin linking Krasnodar region to Crimea, which he annexed in 2014. 

Massive oil depot set on fire in the village of Volna, port area of Taman in the south of Russia after a reported Ukrainian drone strike

Spectacular flames erupted at the port at Volna village on the Black Sea

A giant explosion hit a oil storage depot close to the key bridge linking Russia to annexed peninsula Crimea

The bridge – a key lifeline for the Kremlin’s grip on the peninsula – has been repaired after a sabotage attack on 8 October 2022. 

This morning there were unconfirmed reports that people were being evacuated from homes near the inferno, some hours after the raging fire started.

A report said Russian special services were at the scene.

The suspected Ukrainian drone strike came after saboteurs derailed two Russian freight trains and destroyed power cables with explosive devices within a matter of days.

Krasnodar regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev said: ‘A tank with oil products caught fire. The fire was assigned the highest rank of difficulty. 

‘According to preliminary information, there are no victims or injured. I am keeping the situation under control.

‘Fire brigades, the Ministry of Emergency Situations and other emergency services were pulled into place.

‘Every effort is made to prevent the fire from spreading further. There is no threat to residents of the village.’

The fire began after a drone – believed to be from Ukraine – dropped explosives into one of the fuel tanks, according to Pro-Kremlin Russian outlet Readovka – despite the site being some 170 miles from the nearest Ukraine-held territory.

A suspected Ukrainian drone attack was behind the blast soon after 2am, say reports

A giant explosion hit a oil storage depot close to the key bridge linking Russia to annexed peninsula Crimea

Eyewitnesses told the news outlet they heard two explosions before the fire erupted, covering almost 13,000 square feet with flames. In the early hours of this morning, 85 firefighters were battling the blaze. 

The latest suspected drone attack came a day after a blast hit the Black Sea port village of Vilna, destroying an oil depot.

A day earlier, on Tuesday, saboteurs derailed a freight train transporting 20 oil tankers on the Snezhetskaya-Belye Berega line.

It was carrying oil and fluorosilicic acid as well as lumber, according to reports.

And on Monday, saboteurs again derailed a Russian freight train and destroyed power cables with explosive devices.

The train, carrying oil and construction materials, burst into flames following a detonation on the tracks in the Bryansk region, 37 miles from the Ukrainian border.

Video taken shortly after the attack showed several destroyed carriages ablaze and laying on their side, with dark grey smoke billowing into the air.

Local governor Alexander Bogomaz said the explosive device went off ‘on the 136th kilometre’ of the railroad between Bryansk and the town of Unecha – a route used for transporting Moscow’s military supplies.

A Russian freight train derailed and burst into flames today after an explosive device detonated on the rail tracks just 37 miles from the Ukrainian border on Monday

Video shows several destroyed oil tanker carriages ablaze and laying on their side following the blast, with dark grey smoke billowing into the air on Monday

Russian authorities say the region – which borders both Ukraine and Belarus – has seen multiple attacks by pro-Ukrainian sabotage groups in the 14 months since Russia invaded.

Separately, the governor of Russia’s Leningrad region near St. Petersburg said a power line had been blown up on Monday and an explosive device found near a second line.

A blast moments after midnight caused the collapse of the main power lines and officials said the attack was of sabotage. 

Governor Alexander Drozdenko posted photos of destroyed power lines and metal supports near the village of Susanino on his Telegram page on Monday morning. 

On Saturday a drone attack led to an explosion and giant fireball at an oil facility in Sevastopol, headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in occupied Crimea.

Separately, the governor of Russia’s Leningrad region near St. Petersburg said a power line had been blown up on Monday and an explosive device found near a second line 

The sabotage attacks came as Kyiv prepares for a widely expected counter-offensive this spring, with Ukraine building up its mechanised brigades with armour supplied by its Western allies. 

Ukraine almost never publicly claims responsibility for attacks in Russia and on Russian-controlled territory.

However Ukraine’s intelligence chief Major-General Kyrylo Budanov has previously said that some incidents in Russia are orchestrated by Ukraine.

‘Much of this is no accident,’ he said. ‘Something is constantly on fire [in Russia].

‘Signalling equipment on railways, it lights up several times a day, on various highways constantly for two to three hours, sometimes for five to six hours, traffic gets suspended.’

He admitted Kyiv is behind some of the sabotage attacks. ‘Clearly it doesn’t just happen like this… I would put it this way: money works wonders.’

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