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Drones strike oil depot in Russia's Kursk Oblast, governor says

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Drones strike oil depot in Russia's Kursk Oblast, governor says
A woman walks past sign reading, "Kursk, the city of military glory," in the Russian city of Kursk, some 150 km (93 miles) from Ukraine's border, on May 28, 2023. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Olga Maltseva/AFP via Getty Images)

Ukrainian drones struck an oil depot in Russia's Kursk Oblast overnight on July 28-29, causing at least three fuel tanks to catch fire, Governor Alexei Smirnov said.

Almost 150 first responders were involved in putting out the blaze, which Smirnov claimed was extinguished as of 5:50 a.m. local time on July 30. According to the governor, no one was injured in the attack and resulting fire.

Earlier in the morning of July 30, Smirnov claimed that air defenses in the oblast had intercepted four Ukrainian missiles.

The previous day, Ukraine's General Staff said that its forces had struck at least four power substations in Kursk Oblast.

The attacks were carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine's (SBU) Special Operations Center, along with other components of the Defense Forces, according to the statement.

Russia's Defense Ministry corroborated that there had been an attack in Kursk Oblast, and claimed that 19 drones had been shot down in the region.

On July 28, the SBU, in cooperation with the Ukrainian military, hit the Polyova oil depot in Kursk Oblast, the General Staff confirmed.

Kursk Oblast lies on the border with Ukraine's Sumy Oblast. In recent months, Ukrainian forces have been regularly attacking military facilities and infrastructure in Russian regions bordering Ukraine.

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