Eight tanks on fire at oil depot in Belgorod 40 km from Ukrainian border (updated)

Eight tanks are burning at an oil depot in Belgorod, Russia, 40 km from Ukraine’s border. The fire broke out there on the morning of April 1.

The press service of the russian Ministry of Emergencies told russia’s Interfax that a “foam attack” was being carried out to extinguish the fire. A total of 194 rescuers are working to contain the fire. A fire train is used to support firefighting.

Meanwhile, the Mayor of Belgorod, Anton Ivanov, said that residents of the streets near the oil depot were evacuated to the Belgorod Arena. A bus with 19 residents arrived there, the BBC reports.

Earlier, the Governor of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said that the cause of the fire at the oil depot was an attack from two Ukrainian helicopters, which allegedly entered russian airspace at a low altitude.

Several videos have been posted on social media showing two helicopters near the fire scene. The Ukrainian authorities did not confirm the attack.

Rosneft, which owns the base, said its staff had been evacuated and reported no casualties.

Photo: fonar.tv

Photo: fonar.tv

Photo: Radio Svoboda

Photo: Radio Svoboda

Update. According to russian media, in Belgorod, the printing house was damaged in addition to the oil depot.

“At 5:30 am, an explosion was heard. Then the owner called and reported an airstrike and damage to the building. The office has holes from the wreckage. And on the territory of the printing house, there is a rocket blank,” Interfax quoted the Director of the printing house, Yulia Bogatyreva.

Photo: t.me/radiogovoritmsk

Photo: t.me/radiogovoritmsk

Due to the events in Belgorod, the security services in the neighboring Kursk region went on high alert, reports TASS.

Earlier on the evening of March 29, near Belgorod, a city in russia, a series of explosions were heard. According to reports on social media, ammunition exploded in the warehouse. Commenting on the situation, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, Iryna Vereshchuk, noted that an unauthorized detonation of ammunition took place in Belgorod. “This is an example of the typical russian neglect of safety and the widespread use of dangerous ammunition that remained after World War II,” - said the Ukrainian official.

As reported earlier, on the morning of March 22, seven fuel trucks exploded at a private oil depot in russia. The fire broke out at the Lukoil oil depot near Nizhny Novgorod.