Russia-Ukraine War: Ukraine Military Says Oil Depot Fire in Crimea Part of Upcoming Counteroffensive

A spokesperson for the Ukrainian military said that one of the elements of an upcoming Ukrainian counter-attack was to undermine Russia’s logistics. This follows a recent fire that broke out at a Russian fuel depot in the annexed Crimea region.

The spokeswoman for the Ukrainian military’s southern command said on Monday that the Russian military has gotten anxious due to the fire that broke out in a large Russian fuel outpost in Crimea. While Kyiv has not admitted to striking the fuel storage facility in Sevastopol, the Ukrainian military command reported that a fire destroyed 10 oil tanks that each have a capacity of 40,000 tons of fuel. The Russian-installed governor of Crimea blamed Ukraine for the fire and said that it was extinguished before any disaster happened.

“The fact that the enemy’s logistics are undermined…this work is preparatory for the broad, full-scale offensive, which everyone expects,” said spokeswoman Natalia Humeniuk in televised remarks, according to Ukrainian media. “Therefore, the enemy feels that his resources are undermined and begins to maneuver.”

Ukraine said Friday last week that it was already finalizing preparations for the counter-attack against Russian forces. However, officials did not reveal a date for when the counter-offensive could happen. Kyiv has previously said it hopes its planned counter-offensive will be able to change the current dynamic of the war since Russia’s invasion in February last year.

Meanwhile, the United States has estimated that Russia has suffered around 100,000 casualties in its war, with 20,000 Russian troops killed in battle since the war escalated in the Donetsk region in December. White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby said on Monday that the estimate was based on the latest declassified US intelligence but did not reveal how the intelligence community came to that estimate.

Kirby said that around half of the Russian troops that were killed were recruited by the private Wagner mercenary group, which recruits fighters from prisons in Russia.

“The bottom line is that Russia’s attempted offensive has backfired after months of fighting and extraordinary losses,” said Kirby, adding that Moscow has not been successful in capturing any “strategically significant territory” and has only “exhausted its military stockpiles” and its forces.