The oil depot in Rezekne, Latvia, will be closed after the fall of Ukrainian drones

An oil depot in the Latvian city of Rezekne will be closed after drones of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) fell on its territory. This was announced on May 18 by the state television and radio company LSM.

The East-West Transit company, which owns the facility, suffered minor damage as a result of the incident on May 7. It is noted that insurance will cover the losses, but the exact amount of damage was not disclosed.

"Since the company cannot guarantee the safety of its employees, the management of East-West Transit has decided to shut down the oil depot in Rezekne," the publication says.

Board member of the Latvian Fuel Merchants Association Oyar Karchevskis admitted that after East-West Transit joined the Kool Group, the company's logistics changed, which could make the base in Rezekne lose business importance.

According to LSM, the company's latest available annual report for 2023 reported that East-West Transit's turnover decreased by 7% to €119.9 million, while losses increased to €4.2 million.

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The drone crashed on the territory of an oil depot in Rezekne on the night of May 7. According to former Defense Minister Andris Sprouds, drones "directed from the Ukrainian side towards Russia" could fly into the republic. On May 7, the Russian Defense Ministry added that these drones were trying to attack civilian targets in the St. Petersburg area.

Later, Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silin announced her resignation on May 14 amid a government crisis. It was expected that the head of government would make a statement in Parliament, but instead, Xilin called a special press conference in the cabinet building.