Ukrainian drone assault leaves Russian oil depot in flames
- There are our boys! Let's get out of here! - yells a Russian firefighter who recorded the moment of the explosion of another fuel tank in Proletarsk. The oil depot has been burning for the fourth day now. On Sunday, the facility was attacked by Ukrainian drones. So far, 22 out of 74 tanks have been burned down, and residents describe the situation on the ground as "catastrophic."
The fuel depot in Proletarsk was attacked on Sunday. Drone debris fell on one of the tanks, leading to an explosion and fire. Despite the firefighting operation that has been ongoing for four days now, the situation could not be brought under control.
Approximately 500 firefighters, heavy equipment, firefighting trains, and aircraft and helicopters are engaged in the firefighting action at the scene.
State of emergency after Ukrainian attack
According to the latest data, the fire has already consumed 22 out of 74 tanks. Each has a capacity of 5,500 tonnes. According to estimates, the stored fuel there is worth approximately $200 million - equivalent to the annual budget of an average Russian city.
The fire has already covered an area of about 10,000 square metres. The smoke is visible even from satellite images. There are no evacuation plans for the population. A state of emergency has been declared in the region.
The latest recording, which shows the difficult situation firefighters are dealing with, has been published online. One of them recorded the moment of the tank explosion. - There are our boys! Run, let's get out of here! - yells the firefighter. The crew managed to escape.
Situation on the ground "catastrophic"
According to TASS, citing rescue services, 42 firefighters were injured during the four-day firefighting operation, five of whom are in serious condition.
Residents of nearby towns describe the situation as "catastrophic" and complain that it is not being reported on federal television. Authorities - despite air contamination - have not decided to evacuate the population. No warnings or recommendations have been issued either. The topic is completely ignored in Kremlin media.
