Three days in a row, hundreds of Russian firefighters have been trying to extinguish a fire at the Kavkaz oil depot in Proletarsk, where 22 out of 74 fuel tanks are now burning.

The depot, which stores fuel for the Russian military, was attacked by drones from Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR).

According to Russia’s TASS news service, around 520 firefighters are involved. Dozens have been injured.

Four large Il-76 aircraft have also been sent from the regional center of Rostov-on-Don to assist.

On Sunday, Aug 18, Kyiv Post sources in HUR reported that the oil depot was hit as part of an intelligence operation. This depot served the Russian military-industrial complex and supported Russian occupation forces in Ukraine.

According to a Kyiv Post source in Ukrainian intelligence, the attack was carried out using Ukrainian-made kamikaze drones. Witnesses heard at least three explosions at the site, followed by the ignition of fuel tanks.

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Kyiv has been targeting Russian oil infrastructure since the Kremlin started its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with Sunday’s strike coinciding with the intensification of the invasion of Russia’s Kursk region.

Proletarsk, which is in the southern part of Rostov Oblast, is about 200 kilometers (120 miles) from the Ukrainian border and has a population of about 20,000. On Aug. 19 it was declared under a state of emergency.

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