Aljazeera.
29 Apr 2023 Updated: 7 hours ago
Synopsis
A drone strike caused a fire at a fuel storage facility in Sevastopol, Crimea, where Russia's Black Sea Fleet is based. The fire destroyed more than 10 tanks of oil products, but no injuries were reported. Ukraine denies responsibility for the attack, with a military spokesman stating they had no information to suggest their involvement. Sevastopol has been the target of previous attacks since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2014.
Huge fire broke out at a fuel depot in Sevastopol city on the peninsula where Russia’s Black Sea Fleet is based.
A drone strike caused a fire at a fuel storage facility in the Crimean port of Sevastopol, sending a vast column of black smoke into the sky before it was extinguished, the city’s Moscow-installed governor has said.
Experts examined the site and “it became clear that only one drone was able to reach the oil reservoir”, Mikhail Razvozhaev said on the Telegram messaging app on Saturday.
He said no one had been injured in the fire and another drone was downed, its wreckage found on the shore near the terminal.
A Ukrainian military intelligence official said more than 10 tanks of oil products with a capacity of about 40,000 tonnes intended for use by Russia’s Black Sea Fleet were destroyed, RBC Ukraine reported.
Andriy Yusov did not claim that Ukraine was responsible for the explosion in comments reported by RBC, instead describing the blast as “God’s punishment” for a Russian strike on a Ukrainian city on Friday.
“This punishment will be long-lasting. In the near future, it is better for all residents of temporarily occupied Crimea not to be near military facilities and facilities that provide for the aggressor’s army,” RBC quoted Yusov as saying.
Earlier a spokesperson for Ukraine’s armed forces said he did not have any information to suggest Ukraine was responsible for the fire.
Sevastopol has come under repeated air attacks since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Kyiv has repeatedly declared its intention to retake the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014 to an international outcry.
After previous attacks on Crimea, Ukraine has stopped short of openly claiming responsibility but emphasised it has the right to strike any target in response to Russian aggression.
Source: www.aljazeera.com
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