Ukrainian forces struck the Atlas Plant oil depot in Russia’s Rostov Oblast early on Monday morning, June 23, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces (AFU) reported.
“As part of efforts to reduce the enemy’s offensive capabilities, units of the Special Operations Forces (SSO), in cooperation with the Missile Forces and artillery, targeted the Atlas Plant oil depot in Rostov Oblast,” the statement on Telegram read.
The facility, located near Kamensk-Shakhtinsky and managed by the Federal Agency for State Reserves of Russia, is a key logistics hub supplying fuel and lubricants to Russian troops fighting in Ukraine’s temporarily occupied Luhansk and Donetsk regions.
The depot was used in 2020, during joint Russian military exercises focused on fuel delivery to the front lines.
The General Staff confirmed the strike and reported that a fire broke out at the site, although the extent of the damage is still being assessed.
Ukraine’s defense forces said they will continue to target key facilities supporting Russia’s war effort to degrade its military capabilities.
The Atlas oil depot was previously struck by the Ukrainian forces at least twice.
On August 28, 2024, drones produced by Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) and SSO hit the oil depot. Eyewitness videos from that attack showed storage tanks engulfed in flames.
Rostov Governor Vasily Golubev acknowledged the drone strike at the time, reporting no casualties and claiming four drones had been shot down.
The fire continued for nearly a week at that time.
In late November 2024, the Atlas oil depot reportedly burned for several days following a drone strike. On the morning of November 29, a swarm of attack drones hit the facility, sparking a massive fire.
Ukraine’s long-range strikes inside Russian territory are part of a systematic effort to cripple Russian logistics and war-supporting infrastructure.
Ukrainian forces prioritize oil depots, refineries, air bases, ammunition storage sites, and rail hubs that sustain Russia’s military operations.
On June 11, a series of explosions hit the town of Kotovsk in Russia’s Tambov region, with reports suggesting Ukrainian strike drones targeted the Tambov gunpowder factory, a key supplier of explosives and propellant for Russian ammunition. The site lies about 350 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
Local Telegram channels reported around 10 explosions over Kotovsk, with Russian officials claiming air defenses intercepted the drones. The acting Tambov governor said the attack caused a fire but reported no casualties, without directly mentioning the gunpowder plant.
The factory, part of the state-owned Rostec corporation, is one of Russia’s largest producers of small arms and artillery explosives and is the country’s sole manufacturer of certain critical powder types.
The facility has been repeatedly targeted by drones, with confirmed attacks in November 2023, January 2024, July 2024, and now this latest strike. Kyiv Post sources in the HUR confirmed responsibility for the July 2024 attack.