The Moscow region experienced a significant drone attack that resulted in a fire at an oil depot and necessitated the evacuation of a maternity hospital and residential buildings, as reported by the Governor of the area.
The assault, suspected to have originated from Ukraine as a long-range strike, caused multiple explosions and left 28 individuals with injuries.
Governor Andrey Vorobyov disclosed that 48 drones were successfully downed in the region overnight, with the most severe impact observed in the Bogorodsky urban district where an oil depot in Noginsk caught fire due to a drone crash.
In a separate statement, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin claimed that more than 370 Ukrainian drones were launched towards Moscow, with 64 intercepted before reaching the Russian capital. This attack followed an earlier incident targeting a Wildberries fulfilment center in Russia’s Tambov region.
As a precautionary measure, a maternity hospital in close proximity to the incident was evacuated, with patients and staff relocated to other medical facilities in Noginsk, Balashikha, and Shchelkovo. Additionally, residents of an apartment building on Radchenko Street were also evacuated.
Footage captured by eyewitnesses showed flames and explosions at the Noginsk oil depot, which comprises 24 storage tanks with a total capacity of 11,500 cubic meters. Online videos depicted thick black smoke billowing from the site as flames engulfed the area.
Governor Vorobyov mentioned the deployment of 40 ambulance teams and 12 regional disaster medicine units to respond to the situation, while emergency services, police, and municipal workers are actively engaged in clearing the aftermath of the attack.
The oil depot, recognized as a crucial fuel storage and logistics center in the Moscow region, serves as a key facility for traders and fuel companies to store and transport petroleum products.