Ukrainian drones struck an oil depot near the Russian resort city of Sochi overnight, sparking a large fire and prompting temporary airport closures. At least one person was killed in a separate incident, and dozens of flights were delayed.
According to local officials, one of the drones targeted a Lukoil-operated fuel storage facility in the town of Sirius, about 30 kilometers south of Sochi.
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Video footage shared by residents showed flames rising from the site. Dmitry Plishkin, head of the Sirius municipality, confirmed the attack and urged people to avoid the area and refrain from posting images online.
“There was a strike on the fuel depot on Tavrychna Street. Please avoid driving and walking in that area. I will provide updates on important incidents,” Plishkin wrote on Telegram.
This is not the first incident at the company’s refineries – Lukoil facilities have become frequent targets of Ukrainian drone and cyberattacks.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it shot down 39 Ukrainian drones during the night – 21 over the Black Sea, 11 over the Sea of Azov, and seven over Krasnodar Krai. However, some managed to reach targets.
In the Adler district of Sochi, debris from a downed drone killed a woman and seriously injured another person, according to the Krasnodar region’s emergency response center. A fire also broke out at a garage complex in the city but was brought under control within hours. No injuries were reported in that incident.
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Air raid sirens sounded across the area, and explosions were heard overhead. Several hotels reportedly evacuated guests to underground shelters during the attack.
Sochi International Airport suspended operations from about 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. Moscow time, delaying 59 departures and 38 arrivals.
According to the Western Siberian Transport Prosecutor’s Office, nearly 800 passengers at airports in Novosibirsk, Omsk, and Tomsk are waiting for flights to Sochi.
“In connection with the late arrival of aircraft, flight delays have been announced at the airports of Novosibirsk, Omsk, and Tomsk,” the agency said.
The drone strike came just a day after a similar Ukrainian attack on the southern Russian city of Novocherkassk, where several people were injured and fires broke out near key infrastructure, including a railway station and power plant.
Ukraine has not officially claimed responsibility, but such long-range drone attacks have become a regular part of Kyiv’s efforts to disrupt Russian military and energy infrastructure deep behind the front lines.