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Russian Oil Depot Near Border With Ukraine Burns After Being Shelled, Regional Governor Says

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Regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov posted photos of the fire in Belgorod.
Regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov posted photos of the fire in Belgorod.

An oil depot in the Belgorod region of Russia bordering Ukraine caught fire after being shelled on October 15, the third consecutive day of strikes on strategic targets in the region.

"We're getting bombed again. One of the shells hit the oil depot in the Belgorod region," regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram.

Gladkov posted a photo showing flames and plumes of black smoke rising above a building near a communications tower.

Gladkov said later that the fire had been put out.

Local emergency services said the depot is in the village of Razumnoye-71, near the city of Belgorod, according to TASS. One of 10 tanks with residual diesel fuel was set alight, TASS reported.

Gladkov also said a customs checkpoint had been shelled for several days in a row and that 14 shells had landed there on October 15 but caused no injuries.

There was no immediate comment from Kyiv.

Belgorod and other Russian border regions have accused Ukraine of attacking targets, including power lines and fuel storage facilities, since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in February. Last week, Russia complained of an increase in artillery and missile strikes on its territory bordering Ukraine.

An electrical substation in the city of Belgorod, which lies across the border from Kharkiv in northeast Ukraine, was set on fire by a Ukrainian strike on October 14, causing electricity outages, Gladkov said. He posted photos of the fire, which he said was brought under control in the late afternoon.

A rocket gutted the top floor of an apartment building in the city the day before, causing damage but no injuries, and a munition sdepot in the region was destroyed.

Ukrainian strikes earlier in the week knocked out power in the town of Shebekino. A 74-year-old woman died and several others were wounded.

With reporting by Reuters, dpa, and AFP
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