Oil depot near Engels is under attack — the consequences

On the night of January 8, powerful explosions occurred in Engels, Russia, which damaged the Kristall oil depot. It is a storage facility for the state reserve.

This is reported by Defense Express.

The destruction of the oil depot near Engels on January 8

The materials stated that Kombinat Kristal is a state reserve storage facility that stores fuel for the Engels Strategic Aviation Base. As a result of the explosions, a fire broke out at the base and engulfed a large part of the tanks.

It is reported that this fuel was used to fuel strategic enemy bombers Tu-95MS and Tu-160 of the 22nd Heavy Bomber Division. At the same time, it is known that while the Tu-95MS uses conventional aviation fuel (T-1, TS, RT), the Tu-160 requires a rather specific high-density fuel of the T-8V brand.

"The production of this fuel itself is a rather specific process, carried out at far fewer oil refineries. Unfortunately, no information about its production in Russia could be found. However, during the Soviet era, high-density fuel was produced only at petrochemical complexes in Angarsk (now Angarsk Petrochemical Company) and Orsk (now Orsknefteorgsintez)," the material states.

Experts also concluded that if the tanks that stored T-8V fuel for Tu-160s were hit, it could "ground" these aircraft to some extent and reduce the enemy's use of them.

As a reminder, on the night of January 8, the Engels oil depot was attacked by drones. A large-scale fire broke out at the site.

Shortly afterward, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed the attack on the Kristall oil depot in Russia. Thus, the defenders created serious logistical problems for the occupiers' strategic aviation, which significantly reduces its ability to shell Ukraine.