Ukrainian drone ignites Sochi oil fire as Russia intercepts 93 UAVs
Shafaq News – Moscow / Kyiv
A Ukrainian drone triggered a major fire at an oil depot in the Russian resort city of Sochi on Sunday, escalating Kyiv’s campaign to target critical infrastructure deep inside Russian territory.
The blaze erupted in a 2,000-cubic-meter fuel tank in Adler district, prompting the deployment of more than 120 firefighters, according to regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev.
The drone strike also disrupted air traffic at Sochi International Airport, where Russia’s civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, briefly halted flights before confirming that operations had resumed by 02:00 GMT. Ukrainian officials have not publicly commented, but the attack fits a broader pattern of drone strikes on energy and military logistics infrastructure that Kyiv regards as essential to Moscow’s war effort.
Though Sochi has largely remained outside the range of regular strikes, the Adler district was hit late last month by another Ukrainian drone that killed a woman.
Across the southern Voronezh region, which borders Ukraine, four people were injured and multiple fires broke out following another Ukrainian drone strike, the regional governor confirmed. Russia’s Defense Ministry reported shooting down 18 drones in that region alone, part of what it described as a wider overnight barrage involving 93 Ukrainian drones, including 60 over the Black Sea and at least one over Krasnodar.
On the battlefield, Ukraine’s General Staff recorded 138 combat clashes in the past 24 hours, detailing intense Russian activity that included three missile strikes, 67 airstrikes, and the deployment of 140 guided bombs. Ukrainian positions were also shelled more than 5,600 times, including 96 strikes from multiple launch rocket systems, along with over 4,400 kamikaze drone attacks.
In response, Ukraine’s military said it carried out targeted strikes on nine Russian positions containing troops, equipment, and weapons. It also claimed successful hits on two command posts, five artillery systems, and a radio station. Estimated Russian losses included 920 personnel, two armored vehicles, 43 artillery units, 178 tactical drones, one cruise missile, and 135 additional pieces of military equipment.
