At approximately 2020 EST on April 23rd, 2024, initial reports indicated that a fire had erupted at fuel and energy facilities in Smolensk and Yartsevo in Smolensk Oblast. These facilities reportedly belong to the Russia state owned energy conglomerate Rosneft. The first reports came from Smolensk Oblast Governor Anokhin. Several explosions were heard as Russian military bloggers immediately attributed the attack to Ukraine.
Multiple Ukrainian drone attacks across western Russia this morning, with the Rosneft oil depot in Yartsevo hit and currently burning. pic.twitter.com/jJHhgS1u6m
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) April 24, 2024
Another drone reportedly hit an oil depot in Talashkino pic.twitter.com/vQ3IWVsRGU
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) April 24, 2024
By 0045 EST on April 24th, 2024, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that eight drones had been intercepted over Kursk, Belgorod Oblast, and at other locations in Smolensk Oblast during the attack. That announcement reads below:
“Over the past night, attempts by the Kyiv regime to carry out a number of terrorist attacks using aircraft-type UAVs against targets on the territory of the Russian Federation were stopped. Air defense systems on duty destroyed and intercepted eight Ukrainian UAVs, of which: three – over the territory of the Kursk region; two – over the territory of the Belgorod region; two – over the territory of the Voronezh region and one – over the territory of the Smolensk region.”
By 0430 EST this morning, Ukrainian state-owned media also began to report that the Ukrainian Security Service had conducted the attack. The announcement from RBK Ukraine reads below:
“Drones of the Security Service of Ukraine attacked two oil depots in the Smolensk region of Russia on the night of April 24. 26 thousand cubic meters of Russian fuel were stored at these bases.”
By 0530 EST this morning, Governor Anokhin reported that the fire was under control and there was not risk of it spreading beyond the energy facilities, indicating that the fuel supply was still under threat. Initial blackouts have been rectified and power has returned to the surrounding villages.
