Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs A fire at a Russian oil depot supplying the country’s long-range bombers is raging for a fifth day, according to the regional governor, after Ukraine targeted the site with drone strikes.”The amount of smoke, as well as the area of the fire, is decreasing,” Roman Busargin, Saratov regional governor, said in a post to messaging app Telegram on Sunday.Busargin had said early on Wednesday that the cities of Saratov and Engels, just to the southeast, came under a massive drone attack overnight and an unspecified industrial building was damaged.Ukraine’s military said on Wednesday that it had hit a Russian oil facility supplying fuel to the Engels-2 military airfield and Russia’s strategic bombers stationed there, causing a “massive fire.” Newsweek has emailed the Russian Ministry of Defence for comment.
Videos circulating on Telegram show a massive fire engulf one of Russia’s oil refineries in Engels. The resource is used for servicing Moscow’s fleet of nuclear bombers at a nearby air base.
Videos circulating on Telegram show a massive fire engulf one of Russia’s oil refineries in Engels. The resource is used for servicing Moscow’s fleet of nuclear bombers at a nearby air base.
Telegram/Astra Screengrab by Newsweek
Why It MattersUkraine has persistently targeted Russian oil facilities it says are propping up Moscow’s war effort. Kyiv has also repeatedly attacked the Engels air base, also known as Engels-2. It houses Russian Tu-95 and Tu-160 strategic bombers, which have launched missile strikes on Ukraine throughout the nearly three years of full-scale war.The Engels oil depot is still on fire on the fifth day following the Ukrainian drone attack, according to Russian Telegram channels.The governor of the Saratov region called the fire a “controlled burning of fuel”. VChK-OGPU reported that three oil reservoirs with a capacity of… https://t.co/Sx99iX43HN pic.twitter.com/mleLav2Imj— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) January 12, 2025
What To KnowThe Engels-2 air base is home to the bombers that are part of Russia’s long-range aviation forces, capable of carrying out nuclear and conventional long-range strikes. Engels-2 is around 300 miles from the Ukrainian border, deep in Russian territory.Busargin said on Wednesday that there were no casualties during the drone attacks on the Engels oil depot. Moscow’s Defense Ministry said in a statement it had intercepted 32 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 11 over the Saratov region, but did not report any damage.Kyiv said the operation was carried out by Ukrainian intelligence and drone crews, with assistance from “other components” of the armed forces. Targeting oil bases creates serious logistic problems for Russia’s long-range bombers and “significantly reduces their ability to strike peaceful Ukrainian cities and civilian objects,” the General Staff said.Ukraine also launched attacks on the Taneco oil refinery in Russia’s Tatarstan region on Saturday, which a Ukrainian official described as one of Russia’s “largest and most modern refineries.”Busargin said on Saturday that authorities had reduced the size of the fire at Engels by 80 percent, and that the amount of smoke from the blaze had “decreased significantly.”Who Said What Roman Busargin, Saratov regional governor, said on Telegram on Sunday: “The area of the fire at an industrial plant in Engels has been reduced by 80%. The amount of smoke has also decreased significantly.”Ukraine’s military said in a Facebook statement on Wednesday: “Numerous explosions were recorded in the area of the target and a large-scale fire broke out. Local authorities confirm that the ‘industrial facility’ was hit. It should be noted that this oil depot provided fuel to the Engels-2 military airfield, where enemy strategic aviation is based.”What Happens NextAuthorities will continue fighting the blaze at Engels, while Ukraine will likely plug away with further efforts to damage Russia’s oil facilities deep into Russian territory.
