Russia says Ukraine drones spark Crimea gas depot hearth

A drone strike has brought on a hearth at a gas storage facility within the Crimean port of Sevastopol, sending an enormous column of black smoke into the sky earlier than it was extinguished, the town’s Russian-installed governor says.

Specialists examined the location and “it turned clear that just one drone was capable of attain the oil reservoir,” Mikhail Razvozhaev mentioned on the Telegram messaging app, including that nobody had been injured within the hearth.

One other drone was downed, its wreckage discovered on the shore close to the terminal, Razvozhaev mentioned.

A Ukrainian army intelligence official mentioned greater than 10 tanks of oil merchandise with a capability of about 40,000 tonnes meant to be used by Russia’s Black Sea Fleet have been destroyed, RBC Ukraine reported.

The official, Andriy Yusov, didn’t declare that Ukraine was chargeable for the explosion in feedback reported by RBC, as an alternative describing the blast as “God’s punishment” for a Russian strike on a Ukrainian metropolis on Friday.

“This punishment will probably be long-lasting. Within the close to future, it’s higher for all residents of briefly occupied Crimea to not be close to army amenities and amenities that present for the aggressor’s military,” RBC quoted Yusov as saying.

In a each day replace on Fb, the final employees of the Ukrainian armed forces mentioned models had hit “two depots of gas and lubricants, two air defence techniques, one artillery unit and one other essential enemy goal” however gave no extra particulars.

Ukrainian officers don’t often declare duty for explosions at army websites in Crimea though they often have a good time them utilizing euphemistic language.

A spokesman for Ukraine’s armed forces had mentioned earlier he didn’t have any data to recommend Ukraine was chargeable for the fireplace.

Ukraine lacks longer-range missiles that may attain targets in locations corresponding to Sevastopol however has been creating drones all through the conflict to beat this hurdle.

Since Russia launched a full-scale invasion, it has accused Ukraine of sending waves of aerial and seaborne drones to assault Crimea.

Ukraine has mentioned that management of all its authorized territory, together with Crimea – the peninsula that Russia annexed in 2014 – is a key situation for any peace deal.

Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-appointed head of Crimea, mentioned on Telegram that air defence and digital warfare forces on Saturday shot down two drones over the area.

“There are not any casualties or destruction,” he mentioned.

In the meantime, the pinnacle of the Wagner Group of Russian mercenaries Yevgeny Prigozhin threatened to withdraw his troops from the embattled metropolis of Bakhmut in Ukraine due to the excessive casualty price in combating there and a scarcity of provides.

“Daily now we have stacks of 1000’s of our bodies that we put in coffins and ship house,” Prigozhin mentioned in an interview with Russian army blogger Semyon Pegov printed on Saturday.

Losses have been 5 instances greater than crucial due to the dearth of artillery ammunition, Prigozhin mentioned.

The Wagner chief mentioned he has written to Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu asking for provides as quickly as attainable.

“If the ammunition deficit isn’t replenished, we’re compelled – so as to not run like cowardly rats afterwards – to both withdraw or die,” the 61-year-old asserted.

Prigozhin mentioned he would in all probability be compelled to withdraw a few of his troops however warned that this could imply that the entrance would collapse elsewhere.

There was combating over Bakhmut in japanese Ukraine for months.

Casualties are excessive on each side.

The Ukrainian defenders management solely a small space within the west of the town.