Ukraine Strikes Secret Russian Fuel Base Hidden Inside Cement Plant in Occupied Donetsk

Operators from Ukraine’s 1st Azov Corps of the National Guard struck a concealed Russian fuel logistics hub in the temporarily occupied town of Novoamvrosiivka in the Donetsk region, damaging fuel storage facilities and disrupting railway supply routes, according to the unit on July 12.

The operation targeted infrastructure that Ukrainian forces said had been used by Russian troops to store and distribute fuel supporting frontline operations in temporarily occupied eastern Ukraine.

According to the 1st Azov Corps, the strike followed an extended reconnaissance effort during which drone operators identified the site’s layout and logistics network before launching a series of precision attacks using Hornet unmanned aerial systems.

The unit said the facility, located on the grounds of a cement plant in temporarily occupied Novoamvrosiivka, served as a key fuel distribution center. Fuel was reportedly delivered by rail, stored in above-ground tanks and underground reservoirs, and later transported by tanker trucks disguised as civilian vehicles to Russian military depots.

According to Azov, drone operators first targeted a railway crane that could have been used to clear damaged tracks, followed by a locomotive positioned to block rail access to the site. They then struck an electrical substation supplying the facility before hitting fuel tanks and other elements of the logistics infrastructure.

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The unit stated that the attack damaged fuel storage capacity, disrupted the railway connection used to supply the base, and complicated Russian logistics in the area. Azov also claimed the operation would force Russian forces to relocate part of their fuel supply network from temporarily occupied Ukrainian territory into Russia.

In a statement accompanying footage of the operation, the unit said: “Fuel products are the blood of war. To supply the occupation force, the Russians spent a long time building a network of logistics hubs they believed were protected from Ukrainian attacks. UAV operators of the 1st Azov Corps changed the enemy’s plans.”

On July 1, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said some Russian infantry units were forced to march up to 30 kilometers on foot to reach frontline positions after key logistics routes were damaged.

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