Suspected Drone Attack Sparks Fire at Russian-Occupied Crimean Fuel Storage Facility
A suspected drone attack caused a huge fire at a fuel storage facility in the Russian-occupied Crimean port city of Sevastopol.[0] The attack resulted in a massive fire that ignited fuel tanks at a Russian navy depot, causing significant damage. Sevastopol, which is home to Russia's Black Sea Fleet, has been a regular target of drone attacks, particularly in recent weeks. The city has come under repeated air attacks since Russia invaded Ukraine as a whole in February 2022. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, and Kyiv has repeatedly declared its intention to retake the peninsula, which was illegally annexed by Russia to international outrage.[1]
The latest attack occurred after what was reported to be a Ukrainian drone strike on fuel tanks at the navy depot. Russian authorities blamed the attack on Ukraine, but Kyiv almost never publicly claims responsibility for attacks inside Russia or on Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine.[1] After previous attacks on Sevastopol and other areas, Ukrainian officials have stopped short of openly claiming responsibility but point out Ukraine's right to strike any target in response to Russian aggression.[2]
The fire in Crimea is contained, and other tanks in the fuel depot were not damaged, according to the governor, Mikhail Razvozhaev.[3] Russian news agencies reported that no one was hurt in the fire, and it will not affect the supply of fuel to the city as the reserves were not intended for gas stations.[3] The fire will not affect fuel supply in Sevastopol, and fire departments across Crimea have been assisting.[4] Russia's Black Sea Fleet will soon join efforts to contain the fire.[4]
Sevastopol has endured multiple suspected Ukrainian attacks, and on Monday, Razvozhaev said there was a drone attack on the city, one of which was destroyed, and the other exploded on its own. The attack was the most recent in a series of attempted strikes on Sevastopol, the main naval base for Russia's Black Sea Fleet. The city has come under repeated air attacks since Russia's invasion of its neighbor in February last year.
0. “Watch CBS Evening News: Crimea fuel depot hit in suspected drone attack – Full show on CBS” cbs.com, 29 Apr. 2023, https://www.cbs.com/shows/video/RHBPrxgqq2CslWW_l6xt4h8052ntZ_uf/
1. “Blaze at Russian fuel depot in Crimea put out after suspected drone strike” The Guardian, 29 Apr. 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/29/large-blaze-at-russian-navy-depot-in-crimea-after-suspected-drone-strike
2. “Russia blames drone attack for Crimea fuel depot blaze” Al Jazeera English, 29 Apr. 2023, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/4/29/russian-official-says-crimean-fuel-tank-blaze-likely-drone-attack
3. “Ukraine live briefing: Crimea reports drone attack on oil depot; 25 dead in Russian strikes” The Washington Post, 29 Apr. 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/04/29/russia-ukraine-war-news/
4. “Suspected drone strike triggers massive fire in Russian-occupied Crimea” CNN, 29 Apr. 2023, https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/29/europe/fuel-tank-sevastopol-crimea-hnk-intl/index.html
