Ukraine’s blitz on Russian oil

A CRITICAL Russian oil depot was destroyed by Ukraine yesterday, dealing a hammer blow to crucial supply lines for frontline troops.

The successful attack came as the Russians targeted five railway stations in western and central Ukraine.

Russian police said the Transneftdruzhba oil depot, located in Bryansk, 70 miles inside the Russian border, exploded at 2am before a second fire broke out at a nearby military facility.

Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the West and Ukraine of using a “terrorist group” to try and assassinate TV host Vladimir Solovyev. He said: “They have moved to terror – to preparing the murder of our journalists.”

Meanwhile refugees fleeing Mariupol have described Russia’s cramped and dirty processing hubs as being like “concentration camps”.

One couple – Oleksandr and Olena – said they walked two miles from their home to an evacuation point then were driven to a former school.

Olena said: “Elderly people slept in corridors without mattresses or blankets. There was only one toilet and one sink for thousands of people.”

Dysentery soon began to spread. Ukrainian Railways said five train stations were attacked in an hour, leaving five people dead and 18 hurt. Rail lines are a key target for Russia as they are crucial for supplies.

Four people, including a girl of nine and boy aged 14, were killed in a Russian offensive yesterday in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, the governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said.

Russia denies targeting civilians.

The latest blasts came as British intelligence said Russia had “yet to achieve a significant breakthrough” of defensive lines in Donbas.

The Ministry of Defence added “poor logistical and combat support” were hampering Russia advances.

The UK is sending another 22 fully equipped ambulances and 40 fire engines to Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday also thanked the US for its “unprecedented” support.

There was only one toilet for thousands of people OLENA ON RUSSIAN ‘CONCENTRATION CAMP’