A serious fire has broken out in Perm, Russia, after Ukrainian forces struck an oil pumping station, UNIAN reported.
Space satellite images from Planet Labs showing the aftermath of the attack were published by the Russian service of Radio Liberty. The fire reportedly engulfed two fuel tanks.
Meanwhile, the Telegram channel Exilenova+ shared new footage of the fire at the Perm linear production and dispatching station. The flames intensified, giving rise to speculation that another oil tank may have exploded there.
On the night of April 29, SBU drones struck a "Transneft" oil pumping station near the city of Perm. The facility is more than 1,500 km from Ukraine.
The station is a key logistics hub for distributing crude oil in four directions, including to the local “Lukoil“ refinery.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), whose special unit “Alpha“ is behind the operation, reported a massive fire. According to preliminary data, almost all oil storage tanks at the base were engulfed in flames.
The governor of the Perm region Dmitry Makhonin confirmed a drone strike on an “industrial site“ and declared a “danger from drones“ regime. Employees were evacuated; according to official data, no injuries were reported. The Perm airport temporarily suspended flights.
The strike underscored the significant increase in the range of Ukrainian drones, which now exceeds 1,700 km. President Volodymyr Zelensky called the attacks a "just response to Russian terror" and said Ukraine would continue to expand the scope of its strikes on Russia's military-industrial complex and energy infrastructure.
On the same night, Ukrainian drones also struck an oil refinery in the city of Orsk in the Orenburg region.
Earlier, the Tuapse oil refinery was again attacked. A massive fire broke out there and local authorities announced the evacuation of residents of nearby streets.
The smoke from the fire stretched for almost 400 km. The smoke cloud covered several major Russian cities, including Stavropol and Armavir.