Suspected drone hits oil depot in Russia's Oryol, officials say

A drone operator shares footage of an attack against a Russian position in Kharkiv on May 11, 2022. PHOTO: NYTIMES

MOSCOW - A suspected drone struck a tanker at an oil depot in the Russian region of Oryol on Wednesday, officials said.

Unverified images on social media showed what appeared to be a single rupture on the side of an oil storage tank, blackened by soot.

The logo of Russia’s state-controlled pipeline operator Transneft can be seen on the tank, which state television said was believed to be empty.

“At around 4am today (9am Singapore time), a suspected drone blew up an oil depot in the settlement of Stalnoi Kon,” Governor Andrei Klychkov said on the Telegram messaging app.

“There were no casualties. All operational services are working at the site,” he added.

RIA news agency later quoted an aide to the governor as saying that only the shell of an oil tank was damaged.

Stalnoi Kon, on the suburbs of regional capital Oryol, is about 170km from the Ukrainian border. REUTERS

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