A UKRAINIAN kamikaze drone exploded a major oil depot close to two of Vladimir Putin’s palaces.
The midnight strike on Tuapse on the Black Sea was the fourth such attack in six days.
East2WestThe explosion ripped through the oil depot in Tuapse, Russia[/caption]
Giant flames were seen at the Rosneft oil facilityEast2West
East2WestThe attack happened some 45 miles away Putin’s £1bn palace near Gelendzhik on the Black Sea coast on the Praskoveevka Estate[/caption]
The international airport in Sochi – frequently used by the dictator – was closed due to fears it was also under siege.
Flights to Phuket, Dubai, Sharm el-Sheikh and Istanbul were among those delayed.
Giant flames were seen at the Rosneft oil facility RN-Marine Terminal Tuapse in Krasnodar region, on the main coast road to resort Sochi, location of a key Putin official residence Bocharov Ruchei.
The depot is closer to Putin’s £1billion clifftop private palace at Gelendzhik which boasts an underground bunker, pole-dancing boudoir, and vineyard, some 45 miles away.
But the Tuapse strikes highlight just how close the former spy’s luxury residence is to Ukraine – and within range of opposition forces.
Like all of Putin’s residences, both palaces are believed to be guarded by modern air defence systems.
The attack on Tuapse highlights a new trend in the war, as Ukraine uses its own kamikaze drones to strike inside Russia while it waits for new arms supplies from the West.
Footage showed one drone as it buzzed towards the target.
Air defences were heard in Tuapse before the explosion at the oil refinery owned by Rosneft, Russia’s second largest state-controlled company and biggest oil producer.
The fire spread to more than 2,150 square feet.
The refinery contained 100 tons of petrol and 200 tons of oil.
Thirty eight employees were evacuated and no casualties reported.
It came the day after Russia accused Ukraine of downing an Il-76 military transport plane over Belgorod region.
Moscow claimed the aircraft had 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war on board, as well as six crew and three security guards.
Ukraine has demanded an international investigation of the incident, and questioned whether its PoWs were on board a plane seen as supplying weapons close to the war zone.
“It is obvious that the Russians are playing with the lives of Ukrainian prisoners, with the feelings of relatives and with the emotions of our society,” said Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky.
“All clear facts must be established, as much as possible, given that the plane crashed on Russian territory – beyond our control…
“The GUR [Ukrainian military intelligence] is investigating the fate of all prisoners.
“The security service [SBU] is investigating all the circumstances.
“And I instructed the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine to inform partners about the available data in Ukraine.
“Our state will insist on an international investigation.”
On January 18, Ukrainian drones hit the Petersburg Oil Terminal on the Baltic.
A day later the Rosneft oil depot in Klintsy, Bryansk region when large tanks with fuel burned down triggering an inferno lasting more than 24 hours.
On January 21, in Leningrad region, Ukrainian drones struck the Kremlin-linked Novatek liquefied natural gas company terminal in Ust Luga port.
The Moscow Times reported: “The new targets include facilities that play a key role in supplying and supporting Russian military forces.
“The destruction of such objects is intended to put pressure on the enemy and change the course of military operations in favour of Ukraine.
“Over the course of several months, the Ukrainian military has successfully adapted foreign artillery shells into kamikaze drones.”
East2WestAnother view of Putin’s $1bn palace[/caption]
East2WestLeaked pictures of the opulent interior[/caption]
East2WestVlad has his own seedy room with a strippers pole and red sofas[/caption]
East2WestA Ukrainian drone pictured at the scene of the attack close to Vladimir Putin’s Black Sea residence[/caption]
A wide view of the attack as flames ripped through the RN-Marine Terminal TuapseEast2West
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