An oil depot in the Russian-occupied city of Luhansk was heavily damaged in a fire that Russian proxies claim was the result of a Ukrainian strike, Luhansk Oblast Governor Artem Lysohor said on May 8.
Leonid Pasechnyk, the Russian-installed leader in region, earlier claimed without evidence that Ukrainian forces had attacked the oil depot with U.S.-provided ATACMS missiles. At least five workers of the facility were injured and hospitalized, according to Pasechnyk.
While Ukraine has not claimed official responsibility for the incident, Kyiv has carried out a series of successful attacks on oil depots and refineries across Russia and in the occupied territories in an attempt to slow down the Kremlin's war machine.
"Refined oil products and infrastructure were destroyed," Lysohor wrote on his Telegram channel. He also said that Russia's proxies in the area were "searching for the culprits of the attack," and attempting to pin the blame on the Ukrainian military.
According to the governor, the fire at the oil depot occurred at night, and local rescuers were unable to cope with putting it out.
"The invaders know that no one will restore such facilities to them. And refueling Russian military equipment will become much more difficult," Lysohor said.
Russian forces will be forced to build a new logistics chain and store fuel farther from the front line after the fire, the local governor added.
Kateryna Denisova
