A major oil depot in Russian-occupied Makiivka exploded in a giant fireball after a Ukrainian missile strike in the east of the country last night (July 5).
It is the latest in a succession of attacks by Kyiv’s forces on the Donetsk region city with HIMARS long-range missiles.
The attack left five large tanks consumed by flames which also spread to nearby trees.
There were also reports of power cuts in the city.
“An oil depot caught fire as a result of shelling of the Chervonogvardeysky district,” said Makiivka mayor Vladislav Klyucharov.
“Some residents of the Krupskoy village lost power supply.”
There were no initial reports of casualties.
The attack is seen as seeking to prevent fuel supplies to Putin’s forces in the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic. A day earlier a huge ammunition warehouse exploded in flames after a US-made HIMARS missile strike.
The strike came amid new claims over turmoil at the top of the Russian army over the armed revolt and coup bid by the Wagner mercenary force last month.
Pro-war correspondent Vladimir Romanov – with 108,000 followers — reported that the deputy head of the Russian armed forces General Sergei ‘Armageddon’ Surovikin remains out of contact.
Previous reports have alleged he was detained but there has been no official confirmation.
He is suspected of leaking data on flights of Russian military aircraft during the armed revolt, said Romanov’s report.
An Il-22 command and control plane was downed by Wagner forces during the coup bid, as were six military helicopters, leading to dozens of deaths.
Surovikin failed to attend the birthday of his wife Anna yesterday, said VChK-OGPU Telegram channel and remains incommunicado.
“So far everything is not going well for Surovikin,” added the channel.
