A Ukrainian drone attack on an oil depot near the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi has sparked a massive fire, as tensions between the two countries reach a boiling point. The attack comes after multiple strikes across Ukraine in recent weeks, with over 120 firefighters battling to put out the blaze.
Russia’s civil aviation authority halted flights at Sochi airport, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced fresh plans for a prisoner exchange. The strike is believed to be one of the first attacks on Sochi, which hosted the 2014 Olympic Winter Games.
Video footage showed massive smoke pillars from the facility, with Russia’s air units intercepting 93 Ukrainian drones overnight. Ukraine has targeted key sites in retaliation for recent deadly strikes on its cities.
The attack also comes after a Russian missile hit a residential area in Mykolaiv, wounding seven people, and authorities reported damage to a crucial bridge in Kherson. Four people were hurt in a separate Ukrainian drone strike in Russia’s Voronezh region.
As Moscow rebuffs calls for a ceasefire, the EU foreign policy chief described the assault as “depraved”. Germany is set to deliver two more US-made Patriot launchers to Ukraine, while the US has threatened new economic sanctions if progress is not made.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/03/ukrainian-attack-blaze-russian-oil-depot-strikes-sochi-mykolaiv