A large fire broke out at a Russian oil depot near the Ukrainian border overnight, local authorities have said.
The Kremlin’s emergency situations ministry confirmed that the fuel tanks at the facility in the Bryansk region were on fire.
In other developments, the US secretary of state Antony Blinken said Moscow was struggling to achieve its war ambitions.
After meeting Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Sunday, he said: “In terms of Russia’ss war aims, Russia has already failed and Ukraine has already succeeded.”
Mr Zelensky thanked Washington for its ongoing support. “The visit of a delegation of high-ranking US officials to Kyiv at this crucial moment for the Ukrainian state is very valuable and important to us,” he said.
On the trip, the senior Biden administration officials — defence secretary Lloyd Austin and secretary of state Antony Blinken — promised $300m more in foreign military financing and approved a $165m sale of ammunition.
The visit comes after Mr Zelensky pressed the west for more powerful weapons, as Russia tries to capture more territory in the eastern Donbas region.
