News
The fire at an oil depot in Engels, located in Russia’s Saratov Region, has been fully extinguished after raging for five days following a Ukrainian drone attack on Jan. 8. The region's governor, Roman Busargin, announced the news on his Telegram channel earlier today.
Local residents left multiple complaints under the governor’s post, describing a “horrible smell” and smog in the area surrounding the facility. They also alleged that breathing in the city has become difficult.
The first reports of air pollution appeared on Jan. 8, immediately after the drone attack. However, Rospotrebnadzor, Russia's consumer rights watchdog, was quick to dismiss the news, saying that air pollutant levels remained within permissible limits. Governor Busargin also claimed that air sample tests confirmed its safety.
The fire broke out at the “Kombinat Kristall” oil depot following a strike by Ukrainian drones in the early hours of Jan 8. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) confirmed that it was behind the strike, saying the depot was being used to supply fuel to the Engels-2 military air base.
Russia's Ministry of Defense, meanwhile, claimed that 11 Ukrainian attack drones were downed over the Saratov Region, while 21 others were brought down in other parts of the country during a mass UAV attack.
Firefighting efforts lasted several days. Two employees of Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations lost their lives, while a third firefighter sustained severe burns.
The Engels-2 air base, located over 700 kilometers from the nearest Ukrainian-controlled border, hosts Tu-160 and Tu-95 bombers. These aircraft are used by Russia to carry out large-scale strikes on Ukraine, often causing severe damage to infrastructure, along with civilian casualties. Ukrainian forces have previously targeted the air base with drone strikes.