A state of emergency was introduced in Engels after a drone attack on a strategic aviation oil depot

The area of ​​the fire at the Rosrezerva oil depot in the city of Engels in the Saratov region of Russia, which was attacked by Ukrainian drones in the morning of January 8, has increased, as a result of which the authorities have introduced a state of emergency. This was reported by the regional governor, Roman Busargin. His report refers to the affected “industrial enterprise”.

Also, as the governor wrote, two employees of the fire service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia were killed, one firefighter was injured. Earlier, Busargin wrote that there were no casualties and that “there are enough forces and means to contain the fire.”

According to the governor, the drones were allegedly shot down by air defense forces, but “there is debris hitting an industrial facility in Engels.” Photos and videos of the fire appeared online.

Later, a video was published with a bright flash, after which the fire grew stronger.

Radio Svoboda and several Telegram channels established the coordinates of the fire and found out that the damaged object is the “Krystal” oil depot of “Rosrezerv”, where fuel for the Engels-2 military airfield is stored.

Strategic aviation is based at this airfield. It can act as a carrier of nuclear weapons and regularly strikes Ukraine with cruise missiles. Also, as of 2023, the airfield was the only one where Tu-160 strategic bombers were stationed.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, 11 Ukrainian drones were destroyed last night over the Saratov region of the Russian Federation.

Ukraine recognized the attack on the Engels oil storage facility. The General Staff of the Armed Forces noted that the destruction of the oil depot “creates serious logistical problems for the strategic aviation of Russian forces and significantly reduces their ability to strike Ukrainian cities and civilian objects.”

The Russian service of the BBC calculated that in 2024, Ukrainian drones attacked oil plants and fuel bases in Russia and its occupied territories at least 81 times. As a result, Russian oil companies have to restore damaged infrastructure, which is also difficult due to sanctions. In 2024, the BBC notes with reference to available data, the production of gasoline and diesel in Russia decreased, and fuel prices increased.