MOSCOW: Authorities in Proletarsk, a southern Russian city, declared a state of emergency on Monday as firefighters continued to battle a severe blaze at an oil facility, ignited by a Ukrainian drone. The fire has been raging for over 24 hours since the attack on Sunday morning.
The fuel storage warehouse, located in Proletarsk within the Rostov region, is at the center of the emergency. The city, home to around 20,000 residents, has been dealing with the aftermath of the attack, which led to extensive damage and injuries.
Local governor Vasily Golubev reported that the firefighting efforts are ongoing, with 18 firefighters injured, some with moderate to severe burns. He announced on Telegram that the situation has escalated to a state of emergency, with increased resources allocated to manage the fire.
Golubev assured that there is no imminent risk of the fire spreading to nearby residential areas and urged residents not to panic. Videos shared on social media depict a large cloud of smoke billowing from the site.
Proletarsk is situated approximately 200 kilometers (120 miles) from the Ukrainian border. The attack follows a recent pattern of Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure, with Kyiv's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy describing these actions as justified retaliation for Russian assaults on Ukraine.
Earlier on Sunday, Ukrainian drones targeted another oil storage facility in the Rostov region, igniting a significant fire. Governor Golubev confirmed that debris from the drone attack caused the fire but reported no additional injuries from this incident.
In other developments, the Russian-installed mayor of Donetsk reported that Ukrainian shelling resulted in two fatalities in the city. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces successfully repelled a Russian missile attack on Kyiv. This marks the third ballistic missile strike on the Ukrainian capital in August, with air raid sirens alerting residents early on Sunday. Alongside the missile strike, drones were also detected heading toward Kyiv.
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