Fire erupts at Russian oil depot after Ukrainian drone strike | Today News

A Ukrainian drone strike ignited a blaze at an oil depot in Russia's southern Volgograd region on Saturday, as reported by news agency Associated Press.

This followed a massive Russian assault involving a new hypersonic missile and drones that severely disrupted Kyiv's power and heating infrastructure.

Volgograd Governor Andrei Bocharov stated via a local administration Telegram post that there were no immediate reports of casualties. The announcement noted that residents living near the facility might face evacuation.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's General Staff claimed responsibility for the overnight strike on the Zhutovskaya oil depot, asserting the site supplies essential fuel to Russian military forces. Damage assessments are currently underway.

Ukraine’s strategy of targeting Russian energy hubs with long-range drones aims to deplete Moscow’s oil export revenue, which fuels its ongoing invasion. Conversely, Russia continues to target the Ukrainian power grid to deny civilians access to light, heat, and water — a tactic Kyiv officials describe as "weaponizing winter."

Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN secretary-general, said Friday's attacks “have resulted in significant civilian casualties and deprived millions of Ukrainians of essential services, including electricity, heating and water at a time of acute humanitarian need.”

This intense bombardment coincided with reports of significant progress in discussions between Ukraine and its partners regarding future security frameworks, should a US-led peace agreement be reached. Amid the aftermath, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced that heat supplies would be fully restored to the capital by Saturday evening.

Svyrydenko explained that regions on the Dnieper River's right bank would transition from emergency blackouts back to scheduled outages. However, restoring power to the left bank remains difficult due to heavy grid damage from concentrated Russian strikes. Russia’s Defense Ministry maintained on Saturday that its forces used aviation, artillery, and missiles to target Ukrainian energy assets and fuel storage centers.

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia utilized 121 drones and one Iskander-M ballistic missile in its latest offensive, with 94 of the drones being intercepted. Separately, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that 59 Ukrainian drones were neutralized overnight over Russian territory and occupied Crimea.

Beyond the Volgograd oil depot, Ukraine's military reported successful strikes on a drone storage facility linked to Russia’s 19th Motor Rifle Division in Zaporizhzhia, as well as a drone command-and-control center located near the eastern city of Pokrovsk. These reciprocal strikes underscore the heightening intensity of the conflict's aerial campaign as both sides target critical logistical and energy nodes.