Ukrainian Drone Strike Ignites Blaze at Sochi Oil Facility

A recent drone attack by Ukrainian forces ignited a fire at an oil depot in Sochi, the Russian resort city that hosted the 2014 Winter Olympics and is located approximately 400 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, as reported by officials on Sunday.

Since the onset of Russia’s military campaign in February 2022, Ukraine has frequently targeted Russian oil and gas facilities as retaliation for assaults on its own land.

«The Kyiv regime carried out a drone strike on Sochi last night,» stated Veniamin Kondratiev, governor of Krasnodar, via Telegram.

He noted that debris from the drone struck an «oil tank, leading to a fire.»

Sochi’s Mayor Andrei Proshunin confirmed there were no casualties and reassured that «The situation is fully under control,» mentioning that firefighters were working to quell the flames.

Images circulated by Russian news outlets, whose accuracy was not verified by AFP, depicted flames and dense black smoke billowing from the site.

Air traffic at Sochi airport was temporarily halted but resumed shortly thereafter, as per the announcement from Russia’s aviation regulator, Rosaviatsia.

Ukrainian officials have yet to comment on the incident.

Attacks on Sochi are relatively uncommon compared to other Russian cities, although prior drone strikes in the area resulted in two fatalities last month, according to local sources.

In response to an escalation of Russian attacks on its territory in recent weeks, which have resulted in numerous civilian deaths, Kyiv has vowed to increase its air strikes against Russia.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported the interception of three Ukrainian drones in the Leningrad region, which includes the Baltic port city of St. Petersburg.

Russian strikes in various parts of Ukraine, particularly in the south and north, have also caused injuries, according to official reports.

One missile attack injured seven individuals in a residential area of Mykolaiv, a city located near the Black Sea in southern Ukraine, as stated by Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.

Additionally, three people sustained injuries in the northeastern Kharkiv region, and local reports indicate further injuries in the southern regions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.

«The Russians continue to wage war not only against Ukrainian military forces but also against Ukrainian civilians,» emphasized Svyrydenko.

Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a ten-day ultimatum to Russian President Vladimir Putin to resolve the conflict in Ukraine by next Friday.

Despite this, air strikes and combat have persisted, with the Kremlin dismissing the notion of a permanent ceasefire in Ukraine, viewing it as advantageous to Kyiv’s military efforts.