ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Skip to main content

A massive fire rages for a third day at a Russian oil depot targeted in a Ukrainian drone attack

Share
KYIV, Ukraine -

Russian authorities struggled Tuesday to put out a massive fire in the southern Rostov region for a third consecutive day after an oil depot was hit by Ukrainian drones, as Kyiv's forces also pushed into Russia's Kursk region.

The fire at the depot in the town of Proletarsk burned across an area of a hectare (2 1/2 acres), according to Russian state news agencies. There are 500 firefighters involved in the operation, and 41 of them already have been hospitalized with injuries, according to the Russian state-owned news agency TASS, citing local officials.

Ukraine's Army General Staff claimed responsibility Sunday for attacking the oil depot, which was used to supply the needs of Russia's army, calling it a measure "to undermine the military and economic potential of the Russian Federation."

Hundreds of kilometres (miles) to the northwest, Ukraine continued its operations in Russia's Kursk region.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the daring Kursk incursion has allowed his army to capture a significant number of Russian prisoners who could be used in exchange for captured Ukrainians, expanding on Kyiv's objectives for the mission launched two weeks ago. He earlier explained that Ukraine sought to create a buffer zone that might prevent further cross-border attacks by Moscow, especially with long-range artillery, missiles and glide bombs.

"Overall, this (Kursk) operation became our largest investment in the process of freeing Ukrainian men and women from Russian captivity," Zelenskyy told diplomats Monday, according to a statement published on Telegram late in the day. "We have already captured the largest number of Russian prisoners in one operation."

Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian army has captured 1,250 square kilometres (480 square miles) and 92 settlements of Russia's Kursk region.

The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, reported that Ukrainian forces "continued to marginally advance" in Kursk on Monday.

Ukraine's incursion, the largest attack on Russia since World War II, has exposed Russian vulnerabilities under the leadership of President Vladimir Putin.

"Our defensive actions across the border, as well as Putin's inability to defend his territory, are telling," Zelenskyy said. "Our proactive defence is the most effective counter to Russian terror, causing significant difficulties for the aggressor."

TASS reported that 17 people have died and 140 have been injured in Ukraine's incursion, citing an unnamed source in the Russian medical service. Of 75 people hospitalized, four are children.

Ukrainian and Russian reports suggest Ukraine has destroyed or damaged at least three bridges over the Seym River in the Kursk region -- a move which could potentially trap Russian forces between the river, the Ukrainian advance and the Ukrainian border.

Over the weekend, Ukraine's Air Force commander posted two videos of bridges over the Seym being hit, and satellite photos by Planet Labs PBC analyzed Tuesday by The Associated Press confirmed that a bridge in the town of Glushkovo had clearly been destroyed. There was visual evidence via satellite of mechanized maneuvers by forces in the Kursk region but no clear picture of the fate of the two remaining bridges.

A Russian military investigator confirmed Monday that Ukraine had "totally destroyed" one bridge and damaged two others in the area.

"As a result of targeted shelling with the use of rocket and artillery weapons against residential buildings and civilian infrastructure in the Karyzh village ... a third bridge over the Seym River was damaged," an unnamed representative for Russia's Investigative Committee said in a video published on the Telegram channel of Russian state TV anchor Vladimir Solovyov.

Pontoon bridges -- temporary bridges used by militaries when formal bridges are blown out -- could be seen in the satellite images in two different positions along the Seym River in recent days. The pontoons likely were built by Russian troops trying to supply forces around the Ukrainian advance.

One pontoon bridge appeared along the serpentine path of the river between Glushkovo and the village of Zvannoye on Saturday, but not in images taken Monday. On Monday, smoke could be seen rising along the banks of the river nearby -- typically the sign of a strike.

But even as Zelenskyy hails successes in Kursk, his troops face a bleak situation in the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, where Russia is bearing down on the city of Pokrovsk and forcing Kyiv's forces to pull back and Ukrainian civilians to flee their homes.

Russia's relentless six-month slog across Ukraine's Donetsk region following the capture of Avdiivka, has cost both sides heavily in troops and armor.

Russian forces are heading towards Pokrovsk, one of Ukraine's main defensive strongholds and a key logistics hub in the Donetsk region. Its capture would compromise Ukraine's defensive abilities and supply routes and would bring Russia closer to its stated aim of capturing the entire Donetsk region.

Russia wants control of all parts of Donetsk and neighbouring Luhansk, which together make up the Donbas industrial region.

------

Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell contributed.

CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Three men were injured after trying to subdue a man armed with a knife during afternoon prayers at a Montreal-area mosque Friday afternoon.

Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.

Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.

The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

Advocates have identified the woman who died this week after being shot by police in Surrey, B.C., as a South American refugee who was raising a young daughter.

Provincial police investigating the death of a cat that was allegedly set on fire in Orillia earlier this week released surveillance video of a person of interest in the case.

Local Spotlight

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.