AFU Targets Russian Fuel Depot in Occupied Luhansk

The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) executed a successful attack on fuel warehouses in temporarily occupied Luhansk, according to the Strategic Communications Department of the AFU (Stratcom) via Telegram.

Stratcom released footage of the strike, which took place on Dec. 3, capturing the hum of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) amid gunfire, along with a fire at the heart of the fuel depot.

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A Ukrainian military officer interviewed by Kyiv Post suggests that the Russians likely defended against the attack using the ZU-23-2, a Soviet-era 23-mm twin anti-aircraft gun developed in the late 1950s. This anti-aircraft system is widespread in post-Soviet countries, designed to destroy aerial targets at altitudes of up to 2.5 km.

The individual in the video asserts that personnel from the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations had to take cover from kamikaze drones.

"After the drone attack, the Ministry of Emergency Situations employees are seen relocating within the sector to avoid becoming easy targets for the Ukrainians," he explains.

Satellite imagery attached to the Stratcom's post identifies the fuel depot on Rudneva Street on the southern outskirts of Luhansk, comprising approximately 30 fuel storage tanks.

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Satellite imagery of the fuel depot targeted in a Ukrainian drone strike.

Media outlet Focus reported on the roughly 100 km distance from the fuel depot in Luhansk to the likely launch site of the drones. The UAVs traversed conflict zones and temporarily occupied territories in Donbas, without being intercepted by Russian electronic warfare systems and without being noticed by locators.

News of the explosion at the Luhansk fuel depot emerged on the morning of Dec. 4, with Russian authorities attributing the incident to kamikaze drones. They reported that one tank caught fire and that the flames were contained.

In a previous incident in late September, the AFU destroyed a Russian ammunition warehouse near the occupied city of Sorokyne in the Luhansk region, located about 123 km from the front line.

Certain Russian media outlets speculated that the explosion's cause could have been either a drone attack or sabotage within the enterprise.

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Julia Struck

Julia Struck is a news writer and Kyiv Post correspondent who has previously worked as a parliamentary editor, journalist, and news editor. She has specialized in covering the work of Ukrainian parliament, government, and law enforcement agencies.