Ukrainian Drone Attack Ignites Fire at Sochi Oil Depot
A Ukrainian drone attack ignited a significant fire at an oil depot in the Russian city of Sochi early on Sunday, according to regional Governor Veniamin Kondratyev. Over 120 firefighters were deployed to combat the blaze, which affected a fuel tank with a capacity of 2,000 cubic meters (approximately 70,000 cubic feet), as reported by Russia’s RIA news agency. The incident occurred in the Adler district of the coastal resort city, known for hosting the 2014 Olympic Winter Games.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported in its morning briefing that its air defense units had destroyed 93 Ukrainian drones overnight, including one over the Krasnodar region and a further 60 over the waters of the Black Sea. While the ministry provided figures on the drones it intercepted, it did not disclose the total number launched by Ukraine.
As a precautionary measure, Rosaviatsia, Russia’s civil aviation authority, temporarily suspended flights at Sochi’s airport. The suspension was lifted at 02:00 GMT on Sunday (10 p.m. ET, Saturday), allowing operations to resume.
The attack marks a continuation of Ukraine’s strategy to target critical infrastructure within Russia, aimed at undermining Moscow’s military efforts. In a related incident last month, a woman lost her life during a Ukrainian drone strike in Adler, although strikes in Sochi have been relatively rare since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The Krasnodar region is significant due to its proximity to the Ilsky refinery, one of the largest in southern Russia, which has been frequently targeted by Ukrainian drone attacks. On the same day as the Sochi incident, the governor of the Voronezh region reported that four individuals were injured in a separate drone strike, which also resulted in multiple fires.
In response, Russian forces conducted a missile strike on Kyiv, according to military officials in the Ukrainian capital. The Russian Defense Ministry stated that it had destroyed 18 Ukrainian drones over the Voronezh region, which shares a border with Ukraine.
As tensions escalate, the situation remains fluid, with both sides continuing to engage in aerial assaults that impact civilian infrastructure and safety.
