'Ukrainian strikes' destroy oil and military facility in Russian city near border

25 April 2022, 16:32 | Updated: 25 April 2022, 18:48

Twitter footage purports to show buildings burning in Bryansk after reported missile attacks

An oil and military facility in a Russian city not far from the border with Ukraine have been destroyed in what is suspected to be a strike by Ukrainian forces.

In the early hours of Monday, flames lit up the sky in Bryansk after a suspected attack from Ukraine, with analysts suggesting an act of sabotage.

The Transneft-Druzhba Oil Depot, around 70 miles from Ukraine's border, was set alight at 2am local time before a second blaze occurred at a military facility 15 minutes later, Russian state media claimed.

The facilities were thought to be supplying Putin's troops in their fight to take control of the Donbas.

No one was hurt in the incident and the city did not have to be evacuated, Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations said.

However, Anton Gerashchenko, who is the adviser to the head of Ukraine's Ministry of Internal Affairs, said people who live near the burning oil depot were being evacuated from their homes.

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The latest intelligence update from the UK's Ministry of Defence said: "Russia has made minor advances in some areas since shifting its focus to fully occupying the Donbas," it said.

"Without sufficient logistical and combat support enablers in place, Russia has yet to achieve a significant breakthrough.

"Russia's decision to besiege rather than attack Mariupol's Azovstal steel plant means many Russian units remain fixed in the city and cannot be redeployed.

"Ukraine's defence of Mariupol has also exhausted many Russian units and reduced their combat effectiveness.

"Russia's Ministry of Defence has proposed compensation payments for the families of deceased service personnel be overseen by military rather than civilian officials.

"This likely reflects a desire to hide the true scale of Russia's losses from the domestic population."

As of yet, there has been no comment from Ukraine on the incident.

It has previously denied or not responded to suggestions that it struck targets inside Russia.

It comes after Russian officials said last week that Ukrainian helicopters had hit residential buildings and injured seven people in the Bryansk region.