Russian priests bless fire engines as Rostov oil depot blaze rages

“The [priests] spoke with the firefighters and blessed all the fire equipment,” the local Volgodonsk eparchy – the Russian Orthodox Church equivalent of a diocese – told Reuters news agency.

They brought with them a large icon of the Unburnt Bush, considered a talisman against fire.

According to regional governor Vasily Golubev, air defences shot down the Ukrainian drone on 18 August, but its debris caused diesel fuel to ignite on the territory of the facility.

The authorities have declared a state of emergency, but the local city administration, quoted by Russian state media, said there was no threat of the fire spreading to residential areas and called on people “not to give in to panic”.

Mr Golubev said 41 firefighters had received medical treatment for the effects of the blaze, including five who had been placed in emergency care.

Ukraine has not commented on the strike – but its forces have been targeting Russia’s oil infrastructure as part of their efforts to counter Moscow’s full-scale invasion, which began in February 2022.