A state of emergency has been declared in the Russian city of Engels after a strike by Ukrainian drones hit an oil depot supplying nuclear bombers in Russia.
The regional governor of Saratov, Roman Busargin, said that two firefighters were killed while fighting the fire.
A massive smokestack has exploded at the “Kristal” oil complex, as well as explosions, in the city of Engels after long-range attacks, the Ukrainian military said.
It added that the oil depot supplied fuel to the “Engels-2” military airfield, where Russia’s nuclear bomber fleet is based.
“The oil deposit strike creates serious logistic disorders for the strategic aviation of the Russian occupants and significantly reduces their ability to attack in non -violent cities and Ukrainian civil objects,” said the Ukrainian army.
Russian news reports said the fire was at an oil facility.
Unverified videos and images posted on social media showed a giant chimney burning with orange flames, sending thick clouds of smoke into the evening sky.
Mr Busargin said the cities of Saratov and Engels, on opposite sides of the Volga river, had been subject to a “mass drone attack” and there was a fire at an industrial site, but that there were no known casualties.
“There are sufficient forces and resources to localise the fire,” he added.
The Russian Defense Ministry said in A that 11 Ukrainian drones were destroyed overnight in the Saratov region, and 21 in other parts of Russia and the Sea of Azov.
The Engels air base is located about 450 miles southeast of Moscow and hundreds of miles from the Ukrainian border.
In December 2022, 3 employees of the Russian Air Force were killed when a drone shot there.
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The Ukrainian military said on Wednesday that Russia launched a total of 64 drones at the country overnight.
Among those drones, the Ukrainian Air Force fell 41, while 22 “copycat drones” have hit their targets, the Air Force added.
The use of drones in the Vladimir Putin war is in a spiral, the Army members saying that they can now have more effect on the battlefield than the soldiers.
Ukraine and Russia have been locked in a race to expand and produce drones, some capable of more than 900 miles.
The Ukrainian capital Kyiv and Moscow were subjected to drone attacks.
In eastern Ukraine, Russian forces continued with more land.
“The Russian forces recently have complex northwest of Toretsk (Donetsk province) after several weeks of offensive operations and Russian offensive profits of high direction in the region,” said the Institute for the Study of War.
Ukraine presented a new offensive in the Kursk region in Russia after taking a land box in a wonderful attack in summer.
Thousands of North Korea troops were sent to register so that the Russian offered to capture Kursk, but suffered strong casualties.
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