Ukrainian Forces Hit Largest Petroleum Transhipment Hub in Crimea

The Armed Forces of Ukraine struck an oil depot in Feodosia, Crimea, in a drone attack early morning on Monday, Oct. 7, according to a confirmation from Ukraine's General Staff.

The targeted oil depot is identified as the Marine Oil Terminal, Crimea's largest petroleum transhipment hub, which Ukrainian drones have attacked in previous incidents. The terminal's tank capacity is 250,000 cubic meters.

There are two such terminals on the peninsula, with the second one in the occupied Sevastopol. 

"Ukrainian missile units, working with other defense forces, carried out the operation as part of ongoing efforts to weaken Russia’s military and economic infrastructure," Ukraine's General Staff reported. 

The strike triggered a large fire at the depot. Local authorities initially declared a man-made emergency, but later retracted the statement, calling it a "technical error."

Emergency services are currently working to extinguish the fire, and traffic has been blocked on streets surrounding the area. No casualties have been reported, according to Igor Tkachenko, head of Feodosia's administration, though residents reported hearing explosions prior to the blaze.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed that air defense systems intercepted 12 Ukrainian drones over Crimea and additional drones over the Kursk, Belgorod, Bryansk, and Voronezh regions.

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Reports from "Crimean Wind" also suggest that military airfields in Saki and Belbek were hit in simultaneous drone strikes.

Ukraine renewed long-range drone attacks against Russia’s energy infrastructure on Thursday, Oct. 3, hitting a fuel storage base deep inside the central Voronezh region and setting it ablaze.

Local officials said the air raid targeted the Annanefteprodukt refinery, near the village of Anna, 80 kilometers east of the major Russian industrial city Voronezh. Likely Ukrainian drone launch sites were 300 kilometers away from the fuel processing and storage facility.

Operators from Ukraine’s national spy agency, the SBU, along with military special operations teams carried out the raid, an official Ukrainian military statement said on Friday, Oct. 4.