Strike drones hit two Russian oil facilities in occupied Crimea on 29 October morning, according to the monitoring Telegram channel Crimean Wind, which published videos from the scenes.
Ukraine has been systematically targeting Russian oil infrastructure as part of a strategy to disrupt fuel supplies essential for military operations.
Oil is a cornerstone of Russia's economy, accounting for a significant portion of its GDP and export earnings, with revenues funding state budget expenditures including military operations and social programs.
These strikes aim to restrict the flow of gasoline and diesel to Russian forces, create fuel shortages, and impose economic costs that could pressure Moscow toward negotiations.
An explosion rocked the settlement of Hvardiiske around 6:26 a.m., igniting an oil depot belonging to LLC Kedr, Crimean Wind reports.
The company operates ATAN, the largest gas station network on the occupied peninsula with over 100 stations, along with multiple oil depots and a fleet of fuel tankers.
Reports of fire at an oil depot in occupied Simferopol began appearing around 7:00 a.m., with eyewitnesses filming multiple videos and photographs from the scene. Russian occupation authorities later stated that a Ukrainian drone strike ignited a petroleum products container within the city.
According to Crimean Wind subscribers, military fuel tankers equipped with camouflage nets and drone protection were actively moving in and out of the Simferopol facility just a day before the strike. The monitoring channel reports that this depot serves as an active supply point for Russian occupation forces.
The Hvardiiske facility had already been targeted on 17 October. That earlier strike caused fires that burned for several days, with satellite imagery documenting the destruction of at least five large fuel tanks by the fourth day of burning.
The new fire at the Hvardiiske depot is already visible from space, Crimean Wind reported.
[Update]
Ukraine's Security Service claimed responsibility for the overnight strikes on Russian facilities in occupied Crimea, a source in the SBU told Hromadske.
The operation targeted both air defense systems and fuel infrastructure. A Pantsir-S2 anti-aircraft missile-gun system valued at approximately $20 million was hit, along with two radar stations, according to the SBU source.
The SBU source confirmed strikes on the oil depot in Hvardiiske and stated that drones also hit the Komsomolska oil depot.
"The SBU continues systematic work to destroy air defense systems that cover Crimea, and oil depots that supply the enemy with fuel," the source stated.
