Ukraine confirms drone strike on Russian oil depot in Engels, Saratov region

Ukraine's General Staff reported the information.

During the night, the Ukrainian Defense Forces struck the Kombinat Kristal oil storage facility located in Engels, Saratov region.

According to the General Staff, this oil depot supplied fuel to the military airfield Engels-2, home to Russian strategic aviation.

"The strike on the oil depot creates significant logistical challenges for the strategic aviation of the Russian forces and substantially reduces their ability to launch strikes on peaceful Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure," the Ukrainian Armed Forces stated.

Earlier, reports of the attack on Engels had been shared by Telegram channels.

The governor of Saratov reported a UAV threat in the region, with local alert systems activated and emergency services on full alert, according to the state propaganda agency TASS.

The Russian channel Baza reported explosions and a fire in Engels, noting that sirens and air defense systems were active in the city. Later, it was confirmed that Engels was attacked by drones.

"UAVs were shot down by air defense forces. Debris hit an industrial facility in Engels. Fire crews and emergency services are working at the scene," said Roman Busargin, the governor of Saratov region.

The monitoring channel Monitor noted that, preliminarily, an oil depot in Engels was hit.

Local residents are taking shelter in basements during the air raid and state that an oil depot is on fire after the UAV attack, channel ASTRA reports.

• On January 4, drones attempted to attack Russia's largest maritime trade port, Ust-Luga, located in the Leningrad region. This port is the second-largest in Russia, following Novorossiysk.