Russia reports fuel facility fires in Saratov and Rostov after Ukrainian drone attack

Fires broke out at fuel facilities in Russia's Saratov and Rostov regions after an overnight Ukrainian drone attack, with Russian and Ukrainian accounts differing over the extent of the damage, Russian and Ukrainian media reported on May 31.

In the Rostov region, a fuel storage facility belonging to a private company that supplies agricultural producers caught fire in the Matveyevo-Kurgan district, regional governor Yury Slyusar said, state media TASS reported.

He attributed the blaze to falling drone fragments following what he called an enemy air attack. A pharmacy, two shops, a vehicle and a gas pipe were damaged in the Matveyevo-Kurgan settlement, he added.

Ukrainian outlet UA News said Ukraine's armed forces had launched a large-scale strike on Russian energy infrastructure overnight, targeting facilities in the Saratov and Rostov regions and causing large fires.

It said a fuel facility near the Ukrainian border in Rostov had been struck directly, and that rescue workers had evacuated residents from nearby homes because of the risk of explosion and heavy smoke.

In Saratov, Ukrainian media said a series of explosions was heard during a nighttime drone alert, and that a local oil refinery owned by Rosneft, one of the oldest in Russia, had been hit.

It said footage posted by residents showed a column of black smoke and flames, with preliminary reports of damage to key processing units and no information on casualties.

Saratov regional governor Roman Busargin did not confirm a direct hit on the refinery, saying only that civilian infrastructure may have been damaged, Kyiv added. 

The accounts could not be independently verified by IntelliNews, but video footage of the events suggests that both accounts are correct in the strikes occurring.