Ukraine's drone attack sparks fire at oil depot in Russia's Sochi, governor says

A serviceman from the mobile air defence unit of the 115th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces fires a ZPU-2 anti-aircraft machine gun towards a Russian drone during an overnight shift, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv Region, Ukraine Jul 17, 2025. REUTERS/Sofiia Gatilova

More than 120 firefighters were trying to extinguish a blaze at an oil depot in the Russian city of Sochi that was sparked by a Ukrainian drone attack, regional Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said early on Sunday on the Telegram messaging app.

In the Krasnodar region where Sochi is located, a fuel tank with a capacity of 2,000 cubic metres (70,000 cubic feet) was on fire, Russia's RIA news agency reported, citing emergency officials.

Rosaviatsia, Russia's civil aviation authority, said on Telegram that flights were halted at Sochi's airport to ensure air safety.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.

The attack, which Kondratyev said was in the Adler district of the coastal resort city, would be Ukraine's latest on infrastructure inside Russia that Kyiv deems key to Moscow's war efforts.

A woman was killed in the Adler district in a Ukrainian drone attack late last month, but attacks on Sochi, which hosted the 2014 Olympic Winter Games, have been infrequent in the war that Russia launched in February 2022.

The Krasnodar region on the Black Sea is home to the Ilsky refinery near the city of Krasnodar, among the largest in southern Russia and a frequent target of Ukraine's drone attacks.

Also on Sunday, the governor of Voronezh region in southern Russia said a woman had been injured in a Ukrainian drone strike that caused several fires, while Russia launched a missile attack on Kyiv, according to the military administration of the Ukrainian capital.