A massive oil depot fire raging near Russia’s Black Sea resort of Sochi has been blamed by Russian authorities on a Ukrainian drone attack.
Sochi’s nearby airport has suspended flights.
Krasnodar Region Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said on Telegram that drone debris hit a fuel tank and 127 firefighters were tackling the blaze.
Meanwhile, a Russian missile strike destroyed homes and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine’s southern city of Mykolaiv, local officials say.
At least seven civilians were reported injured in the city, which has been repeatedly shelled by Russian forces. Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said three of the wounded were being treated in hospital.
Russian authorities said the drone attack on the Sochi refinery was one of several launched by Ukraine over the weekend, targeting installations in the southern Russian cities of Ryazan, Penza and Voronezh. The governor of Voronezh said four people were injured in one drone strike.
Russia’s defence ministry said its air defences intercepted 93 drones Ukrainian drones overnight, 60 of which were over the Black Sea region.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia fired 83 drones or 76 drones and seven missiles overnight, 61 of which were shot down. It added that 16 drones and six missiles struck targets in eight locations.
It comes after a particularly deadly week for civilians in Ukraine, including an attack on Kyiv on Thursday that killed at least 31 people.
More than 300 drones and eight cruise missiles were launched in the assault, Ukrainian officials said, making the attack one of the deadliest on the capital since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Following the strikes, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for stronger international sanctions on Russia this week, while US President Donald Trump condemned Russia’s actions in Ukraine and suggested new sanctions against Moscow were coming.
In July, Trump said Putin had 50 days to end the war, or Russia would face severe tariffs targeting its oil and other exports.
On Monday, Trump set a new “10 or 12” day deadline. He later set a new deadline, which would expire on 8 August.
