Drones Hit Major ATAN Fuel Hub in Occupied Crimea, Fire Visible for Miles, Video

A series of drone strikes hit an oil storage facility in Hvardiiske, a settlement in Russian-occupied Crimea, according to the monitoring channel Crimean Wind on October 17.

Thick black smoke and flames are visible for miles around the site. Reports of the attack began surfacing around 2:40 a.m., with eyewitnesses describing multiple explosions followed by a large blaze at the local oil depot.

Videos circulating online show Russian forces attempting to shoot down the incoming drones with small arms fire.

Preliminary information indicates that the targeted facility belongs to Kedr LLC, which operates the ATAN chain—the largest network of gas stations on the occupied peninsula. Damage to such an infrastructure hub could cause serious fuel shortages across Crimea.

Russian-installed occupation official Sergey Aksyonov later claimed that several electrical substations were also damaged during the drone attack. “Repair work is currently underway,” Aksyonov said, adding that details about power restoration would be provided later.

Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that during the night, Russian air defenses downed 61 drones, including 32 in Crimea and 6 over the Black Sea.

Earlier, Crimean occupational authorities had introduced new restrictions on gasoline sales at gas stations, capping purchases at 30 liters per transaction.

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