Russia burning as devastating Ukrainian strike behind enemy lines causes 600ft fireball | World | News

A major fire broke out again at a major gas processing facility in Russia after Ukraine was hit in an airstrike on Sunday. Ukraine has stepped up its attacks on Russian energy infrastructure in a bid to disrupt fuel supplies for Putin’s military, as well as damaging the country’s war economy.

Oil and gas depots across the country have been repeatedly hit by drones and missiles, causing extensive damage. In the latest devastating attack, Ukrainian drones hit the Orenburg gas processing plant. The facility is the largest of its kind in the world and is located at least 1000 kilometers from the Ukrainian state border.

It is believed to be able to process between 40 and 45 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year. The first fire broke out at the gas power plant in the early hours of Sunday morning and was later extinguished by firefighters.

Regional governor Yevgeny Solntsev confirmed the facility was hit, saying part of the infrastructure was partially damaged and a workshop caught fire.

However, local residents reported on Monday that another large fire broke out at the affected facility.

Video footage geolocated by independent Russian media channel Astra shows the complex engulfed in giant flames rising up to 180 meters high.

Kyrylo Shevchenko, former head of the National Bank of Ukraine, estimated that the damage would cost the Russian economy billions of US dollars.

“Russia’s war machine feels the burn!” X wrote on his social media page.

“Potential losses: over $5-10B cut in production/revenue (~$300/MCM gas prices), disruption of exports, and financing of Putin’s invasion.”

The Ukrainian military has previously targeted energy facilities in the region, damaging the Orsknefteorgsintez oil refinery in a drone attack earlier this month.

However, Gazprom’s gas plant was hit for the first time.

Constant attacks on energy infrastructure led to fuel shortages for cars, leading to huge queues at gas stations and a significant decline in oil exports.

According to Reuters, Russia’s oil product exports fell 17.1% in September compared to August, falling to a total of 7.58 million tons due to Ukraine’s ongoing drone attacks.