Camilla Jessen
A major oil facility linked to Crimea’s largest gas station chain was hit in a night-time drone strike.
In the early hours of October 17, a wave of drone strikes struck an oil storage facility in Hvardiiske, a town in Russian-occupied Crimea. The attack triggered a fire that lit up the night sky and sent thick black smoke billowing for miles.
The attack, reported by monitoring group Crimean Wind, began around 2:40 a.m.
Eyewitnesses described multiple explosions followed by a large blaze at what is believed to be a key fuel hub for the region.
Online videos show Russian soldiers attempting to shoot down the incoming drones using small arms.
Target: ATAN’s Fuel Network
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Preliminary reports suggest the depot belongs to Kedr LLC, the operator of ATAN—the largest chain of gas stations in Crimea.
Damage to the company’s infrastructure could strain fuel availability across the peninsula, which is already under pressure.
Local occupation authorities had recently capped fuel purchases at 30 liters per transaction, a sign of growing concern about gasoline availability even before the latest attack.
Wider Impact on Infrastructure
Sergey Aksyonov, the Kremlin-installed head of Crimea, confirmed that multiple electrical substations were also damaged in the drone barrage.
“Repair work is currently underway,” he said, though details on when full power might be restored were not given.
The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that 61 drones were downed overnight, including 32 over Crimea and 6 over the Black Sea.
Despite this, the attack on the oil facility appeared to have hit its mark.
This article is made and published by Camilla Jessen, which may have used AI in the preparation
