A fire has erupted at an oil depot in Volna, Russia, near the Crimean Bridge.

Footage from May 3 shows smoke billowing as large flames emerge from the depot.

"The fire has been classified as the highest rank of difficulty," said Veniamin Kondratyev, the governor of the Krasnodar region. He also added there were no casualties.

A fire that broke out at an oil depot in the Krasnodar Territory of Russia on May 3, 2023, has sparked suspicions that it may have been caused by a drone strike.

Eyewitnesses reported seeing a drone flying over the oil depot just before the fire started, followed by two loud explosions. While authorities have not yet confirmed whether the fire was indeed caused by a drone strike, the incident has raised concerns about the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for malicious purposes.

The fire, which broke out in the village of Volna in the Temryuk District, caused a thick black column of smoke that was visible from the Crimean coast of the Kerch Strait. Emergency services were immediately dispatched to the scene, and employees of the port next to the burning tank were evacuated.

Despite the severity of the fire, there were no reported casualties or injuries. The governor of the Krasnodar Territory, Veniamin Kondratiev, assured residents that the situation was under control and that there was no need for a complete evacuation of the village.

According to Fyodor Babenkov, the head of the Temryuk district, 85 firefighters were deployed to put out the blaze. The fire was given the highest difficulty level, and emergency services were working around the clock to prevent it from spreading further.