Ukraine drones hit and set on fire the RosNeft oil depot in the Yartsevo, Smolensk region as the sun began to rise on April 24.
Reportedly, a drone hit the Rosneft facility as Ukraine continues its drone war campaign that is targeting Russian oil refinery capacity. Locals spoke of 4-5 explosions.
Ukraine has launched a dozen attacks against Russian refineries since February of which about half get through. However, as a result of the Cold War legacy most refineries, built in Soviet times, are well protected from aerial attack.
The drones typically cause fires and result in a temporary shutdown to effect repairs, but do not do long-term damage and have been quickly put back into operation.
Nevertheless, Russia’s oil product has been reduced by an estimated 16% since the start of the year.