Russian Oil Depot in Sochi Attacked by Ukrainian Drones: Over 120 Firefighters Battling Blaze, Infrastructure Targeted

In the early hours of Sunday, over 120 firefighters battled a fiery ordeal at an oil depot in Sochi, Russia, following a suspected Ukrainian drone attack. According to regional Governor Veniamin Kondratyev’s statement on Telegram, a 2,000 cubic meter fuel tank was ablaze.

The incident occurred in the Krasnodar region, a Black Sea locale where Sochi is situated. Emergency officials reported this information to Russia’s RIA news agency.

Russian defense ministry reports indicated that their air defense units had destroyed 93 Ukrainian drones overnight, including one over the Krasnodar region and 60 over the Black Sea waters. The ministry’s reports only detail the number of drones destroyed, not those launched by Ukraine.

Flights at Sochi’s airport were initially halted for safety reasons before resuming at 0200 GMT on Sunday (10 p.m. ET, Saturday). However, the reports could not be independently verified. Ukraine did not provide an immediate response.

The attack in Adler district, Sochi’s coastal resort city, marks another instance of infrastructure targeting deemed crucial to Moscow’s war efforts by Kyiv. Last month, a woman lost her life due to a Ukrainian drone strike in the same district. While infrequent, attacks on Sochi – site of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games – have been observed since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022.

The Krasnodar region houses the Ilsky refinery near Krasnodar City, one of the largest in southern Russia and a common target of Ukrainian drone attacks.

Meanwhile, four individuals were injured due to a Ukrainian drone strike causing multiple fires in Voronezh region, southern Russia, on Sunday. Russia retaliated with a missile attack on Kyiv, as per the military administration of Ukraine’s capital. Russian defense ministry reports stated that its units had destroyed 18 Ukrainian drones over the Voronezh region, which borders Ukraine.