On the night of January 15-16, the Voronezh Region became the target of a massive attack by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which resulted in a fire at an oil depot in the Liski District. The region's governor, Alexander Gusev, reported that more than ten drones were used in the attack, and the center of the strikes was precisely the industrial facility.
The fire at the oil depot quickly spread, threatening catastrophic consequences. In connection with this, emergency measures were introduced to extinguish the fire. According to Gusev, a large number of firefighting equipment, including two specialized fire trains, are working at the scene of the incident. Hundreds of firefighters and rescuers are fighting the fire to prevent further spread of the flames.
Additional forces were mobilized from neighboring areas, highlighting the seriousness of the situation and the need for a massive effort to control the fire.
"Last night, the territory of three districts of the Voronezh region was attacked by more than 10 UAVs. Most of them hit the oil depot in the Liski district. There were no casualties. According to preliminary data, citizens' property was not damaged. At the initial stage, extinguishing the fire was complicated by the threat of repeated attacks on the facility. At the moment, reinforced fire brigades are fighting the fire at several reservoirs: dozens of units of equipment and two fire trains. Additional forces have been sent from two neighboring regions," - Gusev noted in his message.
Despite the scale of the incident, the authorities assure that there is no threat to the population. This statement is supported by the absence of official reports of casualties or evacuations. In addition, it is noted that the fire should not affect the availability of fuel in the region, since the oil depot is not the only source of storage and distribution of petroleum products in the Voronezh Region.
It is worth noting that UAV attacks on Russian regions have become a frequent occurrence in recent months, especially in border areas. The Voronezh region, located at a significant distance from the front line, is also actively subjected to attacks from Ukraine.
Local residents reported hearing explosions and flashes of light in the night sky, indicating the intensity of the attack and the operation of air defense systems, according to social media posts.