Putin on the brink after 'most important oil refinery' destroyed in fireball blast
The Novoshakhtinsk plant is the largest supplier of petroleum products in southern Russia and a key source of fuel for Putin's army.
Ukraine's army inflicted a serious blow on Vladimir Putin's war machine, after drones attacked and set ablaze a major oil refinery in southern Russia.
Local residents living close to the Novoshakhtinsk plant in the Rostov region initially reported hearing explosions in the vicinity on the night of June 6.
Images show a massive fire engulfing the oil refinery that has been repeatedly targeted during the course of the war.
Fire fighting teams rushed to the scene to try and put out the inferno that ripped through the plant.
Images show a raging blaze with huge columns of flames and thick black smoke spiralling into the night's sky.
Rostov region's governor Vasily Golubev said on his Telegram channel: "Following a drone strike, a fire broke out at the Novoshakhtinsk refinery.
"Work was suspended due to a repeated attack, and personnel were withdrawn to a safe distance."
Golubev later confirmed that there had been no injuries or fatalities as a result of the fire.
The Novoshakhtinsk plant is the largest supplier of petroleum products in southern Russia.
Don't miss...
Putin’s rarely seen daughter breaks cover at International Economic Forum [LATEST]
It's time for Biden to put his money where his mouth is and stand up to Putin [OPINION]
Vladimir Putin in chilling threat to the US as he warns of 'serious problems' [NEWS]
Located around 10 kilometres east of the border with Ukraine, it is a key supplier of fuel products for the Russian army fighting in Ukraine.
The refinery has a capacity of 7.5 million tonnes and processed just over five million metric tonnes of crude in 2021.
Another drone attack on the same night wiped out an oil tank in Stary Oskol, north of the Ukrainian border in Belgorod region.
The force of the blast from the attack blew out windows in buildings located nearby.
Fire crews were able to extinguish the blaze quickly and there were no reported casualties.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, the region's governor, said: “As a result of the explosion, one of the tanks caught fire. Four fire crews quickly extinguished the fire.
"The blast wave blew out the windows in the security building. There were no injuries.”
