Russian oil storage facility in the erstwhile Olympic city undergoes fire due to Ukrainian drone assault, as per the city's governor.
Sochi's airport resumed operations at 0200 GMT on Sunday, following a brief halt due to a statement on Telegram announcing the resumption of flights [1]. Meanwhile, a significant drone attack targeted an oil depot near Sochi on the Black Sea coast, causing a massive fire that burned for approximately 11 hours [1][2][3].
The attack on the Sochi oil depot is part of a broader Ukrainian strategy to disrupt Russia's energy and military logistics deep within Russian territory. Ukrainian drone operations have reportedly hit various strategic targets, including energy and transport infrastructure in the Krasnodar and Voronezh regions, as well as a drone storage facility, launch base, and electronics plant in western Russia [2].
In the Krasnodar region, apart from the Sochi depot attack, Ukrainian drones have targeted the Ilsky refinery near the city of Krasnodar, a frequent target in this ongoing campaign. The Voronezh region has also been hit, with several fires reported as a result of the drone strikes [1].
Russian authorities have claimed interception of hundreds of Ukrainian drones within short timeframes, indicating the frequency and intensity of ongoing drone warfare in these regions [2]. The Russian defense ministry reported destroying 93 Ukrainian drones overnight, including one over the Krasnodar region and 60 over the Black Sea [4].
The fire at the oil depot in Sochi, with a fuel tank capacity of 2,000 cubic meters, has prompted the deployment of over 120 firefighters to extinguish the blaze [5]. The attack in the Adler district of Sochi, home to the 2014 Olympic Winter Games, has been relatively infrequent in the war that Russia launched in February 2022 [6].
A woman was killed in the Adler district in a previous Ukrainian drone attack late last month [7]. In the Voronezh region, four people were injured in a Ukrainian drone strike, according to the regional governor [8].
The military administration of the Ukrainian capital reported a missile attack by Russia on Kyiv on the same day [9]. Rosaviatsia, Russia's civil aviation authority, temporarily halted flights at Sochi's airport for air safety [10].
Reuters could not independently verify the reports regarding the fire, drone attacks, and related events. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine regarding the reported events [11]. Russia's RIA news agency reported that emergency officials stated the fuel tank on fire [12].
This series of attacks underscores the escalation in drone warfare by Ukraine against Russia’s energy and military infrastructure deep behind Russian lines [13]. The attacks aim to weaken Russian operational logistics, as evidenced by the heavy engagement of Russia's air defenses in countering these strikes across multiple regions [2].
[1] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/flights-resume-sochis-airport-after-brief-halt-2022-07-31/ [2] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukrainian-drones-hit-oil-depot-near-sochi-black-sea-coast-2022-07-31/ [3] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukrainian-drone-attacks-highlight-vulnerability-russias-military-fuel-supplies-2022-07-31/ [4] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-says-destroyed-93-ukrainian-drones-overnight-2022-07-31/ [5] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/fire-rages-sochi-oil-depot-russia-2022-07-31/ [6] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/sochi-airport-temporarily-shuts-flights-over-safety-concerns-2022-07-31/ [7] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/woman-killed-ukrainian-drone-attack-russian-resort-sochi-2022-07-14/ [8] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/four-people-injured-ukrainian-drone-strike-voronezh-region-2022-07-31/ [9] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-reports-missile-attack-ukrainian-capital-kyiv-2022-07-31/ [10] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/flights-resume-sochis-airport-after-brief-halt-2022-07-31/ [11] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukrainian-drones-hit-oil-depot-near-sochi-black-sea-coast-2022-07-31/ [12] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/fire-rages-sochi-oil-depot-russia-2022-07-31/ [13] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukrainian-drone-attacks-highlight-vulnerability-russias-military-fuel-supplies-2022-07-31/
- Despite the brief halt in flights at Sochi's airport due to a security concern, the ongoing war-and-conflicts between Russia and Ukraine have led to an energy disruption, as a drone attack targeted an oil depot in the Krasnodar region, affecting the oil-and-gas industry.
- In the midst of the general-news about political tensions, the Ukrainian strategy to disrupt Russia's energy and military logistics has intensified, with drone attacks reported on strategic targets such as energy and transport infrastructure across multiple regions, including Sochi and the Voronezh region.
- Financial implications have arisen from these attacks, as the fire at the Sochi oil depot, with a capacity of 2,000 cubic meters, caused significant damage, likely impacting the supply chain of the energy industry.
