A Russian oil refinery in the Rostov region was ablaze Wednesday morning after a reported hit from a Ukrainian drone, authorities said.
Russia’s state-run news agency TASS cited an anonymous source in the local authorities as saying that a fire broke out at Novoshakhtinsk refinery in the Rostov region five kilometers from the Ukraine border after two Ukrainian drones were spotted over the plant.
“One of them made an impact, crashing into a heat transfer unit, after which the blaze started. The second one flew away,” the unnamed source told TASS.
The local emergency service said the fire at the oil refinery was localized just after 10 a.m. local time, according to Russia’s Interfax news agency.
Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations for the Rostov region said no casualties were reported.
The ministry also noted that 35 people and 17 pieces of equipment were at the scene of the fire, and that its cause is under investigation.
The local emergency service said the fire at the oil refinery was localized just after 10 a.m. local time, according to Russia’s Interfax news agency.
Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations for the Rostov region said no casualties were reported.
A video of the incident circulating on social media showed what appeared to be a single drone flying through the sky and towards the plant. Shortly later, an explosion can be heard, followed by a large fire and plumes of black smoke rising into the air.
Regional governor Vasily Golubev said on social media that a drone strike may have caused the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery blaze.
According to Golubev, the fire had been put out and all plant personnel have been evacuated with no casualties.
Work at the plant has been suspended pending an investigation, Golubev added.
Russia has several times accused Kyiv of launching attacks near the joint border since starting a military intervention in Ukraine in late February.
The fire at the refinery comes days after Moscow accused Ukraine of firing at Black Sea drilling rigs off the coast of Russia-annexed Crimea.