Dozens of explosions, oil depot fire in Russia’s Saratov Oblast - video
A series of about 25 powerful explosions with bright flashes in the sky followed by a large fire at an oil depot in the Russian city of Engels were reported by residents and Saratov Oblast Governor Roman Busargin on Telegram early on Jan. 8.
Several drones were allegedly shot down by air defences with the debris setting fire to “an industrial facility. Firefighters and emergency services are on the scene,” he claimed.
The Astra Telegram channel posted eyewitness videos of the city's night skyline with the sounds of drones and a photo of a massive fire in the area of the oil depot.
The city is also home to the Engels airbase, one of the main facilities used by the Russian military to launch its strategic bombers to carry out missile strikes on Ukrainian territory.
On Jan. 3, Russia's Yandex search engine was ordered by a court to remove maps and edit images of a major oil refinery from Yandex Maps due to drone attacks.
Prosecutors argue that information about this "strategically important facility" should not be freely available. This court decision marks the first time that a Russian multinational IT company has been ordered to remove photos and maps of a defense industry facility from the public domain.
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