A Ukrainian drone strike overnight ignited a fire at an oil depot in the Russian resort city of Sochi, local authorities confirmed on Sunday. The city, which hosted the 2014 Winter Olympics, rarely experiences such attacks.
"Sochi suffered a drone attack by the Kyiv regime last night," Krasnodar region governor Veniamine Kondratiev said on Telegram, adding that the drone wreckage hit an oil tank and triggered a blaze.
More than 120 firefighters were deployed to contain the fire, while images shared on Russian media showed thick black smoke billowing from the facility. Their authenticity could not be independently verified.
Also, flights at Sochi airport were briefly suspended but have since resumed, according to Russia's aviation authority Rosaviatsia.
Though Sochi lies around 400 km from the Ukrainian border and has seen fewer strikes than other cities, two people were reportedly killed there in drone attacks late last month.
Kyiv has not commented on the latest incident but has vowed to escalate its air assaults in retaliation for intensified Russian strikes which have recently killed dozens of civilians.
The violence comes despite US President Donald Trump’s "ultimatum" to Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin last week, demanding an end to the conflict within ten days. The Kremlin has dismissed the proposal, saying a ceasefire would benefit Ukrainian forces.
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