Drone Strikes: Oil Facilities Held by both Russia and Ukraine Ablaze as Fighting Targets Fuel Supply

Russia and Ukraine struck each other’s energy infrastructure in a series of drone attacks overnight into Wednesday, with major fuel facilities held by both nations ablaze.

What Russia euphemistically called a “drone crash” saw an oil depot near in Taman near Crimea burning with a massive effort underway to extinguish the blaze. According to the Russian government, the tank on fire had contained 20,000 cubic meters (5¼ million U.S. gallons) of oil and the location had been categorised as a four-alarm fire, the highest rating.

While the Kremlin did not directly explain why they were facing the second major oil tank fire in a week — not to mention the explosion and derailment of an oil train this week as well — Ukrainian media claimed today’s blast had been caused by an attack by their forces.

Nevertheless, a statement from the Russian government on Tuesday said in broader terms: “We are, of course, aware that the Kiev regime, which is behind a number of such attacks and terrorist acts, plans to continue this tactic… All our special services have been doing everything that is necessary to ensure security.”

While oil blazed in Russian-held Ukrainian territory, another drone strike had struck an oil facility in Ukrainian held Ukraine as well. Kropyvnytskyi in Central Ukraine, far from the front lines, an oil depot was hit by what national media said was a swarm of three Iranian-build Shahed drones. There were no casualties, but the oil appears to have been set alight.

Analysis of the attacks including by Euractiv remarks that mutual strikes on fuel infrastructure appear to be a preliminary move to the long-discussed Ukrainian Spring counter-offensive. Said to be planning to make the most of the improving weather to push back at Russian occupations with the considerable quantities of Western-equipped and trained armoured units now at Ukraine’s disposal, interrupting the ability of the enemy to move by constraining fuel supply appears to feature in both sides’ battle plans.

The Kyiv Independent reported at the weekend that Ukrainian top military officers openly admitted the earlier fuel depot attack in Sevastopol was “preparations” for the counter-offensive.