Drone attack blamed for huge fire at fuel depot in Crimea

Blaze at Sevastapol port in Russia-annexed peninsula came a day after deadly Russian missile strikes on Ukraine

Flames rise from a burning fuel tank at a depot in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol on Saturday. AP

Fire erupted at a fuel depot in Crimea on Saturday after it was hit by a drone, a local official said.

Mikhail Razvozhaev, the Moscow-installed governor of the Black Sea peninsula's port city of Sevastopol, posted a video and photos of the blaze on his Telegram channel.

"The four fuel tanks that were hit, they are practically burnt out already," he said in a video.

Mr Razvozhaev did not say whether the drone was from Ukraine.

He said the fire did not cause any casualties and would not hinder fuel supplies in Sevastopol.

The incident comes a day after Russia fired more than 20 cruise missiles and two drones at Ukraine, killing at least 25 people. Almost all of the victims died when two missiles slammed into an apartment building. Three children were among the dead.

A spokesman for Ukraine's armed forces said he did not have any information to suggest Ukraine was responsible for Saturday's fire.

After previous attacks on Crimea, Kyiv usually stopped short of openly claiming responsibility but emphasised that Ukraine had the right to strike any target in response to Russian aggression.

Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said his country is seeking to reclaim the peninsula during Russia's current full-scale invasion.

Sevastopol has been subject to regular attack attempts with drones, especially in recent weeks.

Earlier this week, Mr Razvozhaev reported that the Russian military destroyed a Ukrainian sea drone that was aimed at a harbour. Another one detonated, shattering windows in several apartment buildings but causing no other damage, he said.

With reporting from agencies