Bryansk
Russia: Serious fires broke out in oil storage facilities – military base apparently also affected
The fire in the Bryansk region. A fire in an oil reservoir was officially confirmed.
© @NotWoofers / Twitter
Devastating fires broke out in the Russian border region on Monday night. Russian state media confirm a fire at an oil reservoir. A military base is also said to be affected.
Severe fires broke out in two Russian oil depots in the Bryansk region on Monday night. Bryansk is located in the border region with Ukraine, only about 150 kilometers from Ukrainian territory. According to unconfirmed sources, a military base is also said to be affected.
According to the Russian state media “Tass”, the fire is said to have caught storage tanks in Bryansk during the night. The local civil protection authorities had provided the relevant information and informed Tass that extinguishing work was underway.
Druzhba pipeline: Oil reservoir catches fire in Russia
One of the oil storage facilities is said to belong to the oil company Transneft, which also operates the “Druzhba” pipeline with connections to various European countries. “Druschba” (English: friendship) was developed in the 1950s and 60s and is considered the predecessor of Nord Stream and the planned South Stream pipeline.
Flames and high clouds of smoke could be seen in various videos on social networks. Some videos also captured explosions that occurred in the wake of the fire. NASA satellite images also showed that a second fire broke out over a military base in the Bryansk region.
It has not yet been officially clarified whether the fire could be linked to the war in Ukraine. The Russian authorities have also not given any information about the cause of the fire. The distance from Bryansk to Ukraine is in the border area of Ukrainian missile systems (usually up to 120 km range). Occasionally, however, missile systems can also exceed the actually intended ranges.
However, it is also striking that Russian troops are said to have evacuated close family members in the Bryansk region a few days ago. Reasons for this were not given by the Russian authorities and troops.
The fire at the Bryansk oil storage facilities is not the first incident in the border region since the Russian invasion. In early April, Russia blamed Ukraine for a fire in an oil storage facility in the Russian city of Belgorod. According to the Russian account, two Ukrainian helicopters fired rockets at the plant. Ukraine rejected this. Belgorod is less than 50 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. According to the fire brigade, there have been no fatalities or injuries in the fire in Bryansk so far.
Sources: dpa evacuation relatives, NASA fire