In the early hours of April 1, two helicopters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) entered Russian territory at a low altitude and launched a missile attack on the oil depot of the Rosneft Oil Company, located on the outskirts of Belgorod.
Eight of the 16 tanks storing fuel caught fire as a result of the shelling. According to Lenta.ru, the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia (EMERCOM) said that the fire was of a higher level of complexity. Currently, rescuers are making every effort to prevent fire spread to the neighboring tanks, also storing fuel and lubricants. According to the press service of the Regional Emergency Ministry, over 170 people were involved in fighting the fire and over 50 units of special equipment.
A special train is also working on the fire, from which water is being pumped to the fire trucks. According to REN TV, eight tanks are on fire, each holding 2,000 cubic meters of fuel. At the same time, Governor of Belgorod Region Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote in his Telegram channel that the emergency services have enough resources to eliminate the fire, and there is no threat to the population.
According to Gladkov, it was decided to temporarily evacuate the residents of Makarenko, Pochtovaya and Konstantin Zaslonov streets, which are located in close proximity to the burning oil depot, and place them in the Belgorod Arena sports centre. After the fire is extinguished, people will be able to return to their homes. During the fire, as confirmed by the Governor, two employees of the oil depot were injured, they received first aid in time, and now there is no threat to their lives.
Shortly after the explosion at the oil depot, Belgorod motorists rushed to the city's gas stations to stock up on motor fuel. However, according to Gladkov, there will be no shortage of gasoline and diesel fuel.
Meanwhile, the situation in Ukraine near Donbass is being escalated. In Mariupol, members of the Azov regiment*, who had been previously asked to lay down their arms and surrender, have been practically liquidated. However, they did not take advantage of this opportunity and continue to resist, realizing that their fate is sealed.
DPR and Russian army soldiers are now carrying out a clearance operation in three sectors: the city center, Azovstal plant territories, and the port. Eduard Basurin, official representative of the DPR military command, said this on the air of the Vesti FM radio station on April 1. The Ukrainian command, well aware that the entire personnel of the Azov regiment may be destroyed, nevertheless made a desperate attempt to save the commanders of this unit. According to Major General Igor Konashenkov, an official representative of the Russian Defense Ministry, yesterday morning the DPR forces shot down two Mi-8 helicopters that had been sent to evacuate the leaders of this regiment. According to RIA Novosti, one of the Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopters was shot down by DPR People's Militia fighters with a trophy American Stinger MANPADS. The helicopter went down near the village of Rybatskoye. The second helicopter, according to Konashenkov, was damaged by a missile and tried to leave in the direction of the sea, but about 20 km from the coast it crashed and sank.
Recall that almost 450,000 people lived in Mariupol in 2014. In June of that year, Ukrainian security forces and nationalists managed to establish their control over the city. It was there that a large grouping of Ukrainian troops was stationed, including the Azov battalion. Therefore, the civilians of Mariupol experienced firsthand what the Ukrainian government meant when they were not allowed to leave the city through humanitarian corridors provided by Russian servicemen but were driven into basements and bullied.
A few days ago, Ramzan Kadyrov, head of the Chechen Republic, wrote in his Telegram channel that Mariupol was almost 90-95 percent liberated. On April 1, according to Ura.ru, Kadyrov once again appealed to the nationalists who are in the remaining buildings of the Azovstal steel plant, saying that they have “one day left” to surrender and stay alive, because “the day after tomorrow we will destroy you all.”
The special military operation in Ukraine, as the Russian leadership has repeatedly stated, will be carried out according to previously determined plans. The war crimes committed on the territory of Ukraine by the Ukrainian military and especially by members of nationalist formations will be made public and condemned as required by law.
* The Aidar and Azov nationalist battalions are recognized as extremist organizations and are banned in Russia.