Explosion, fires reported in Russia's Sochi following Ukrainian drone attack
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Editor's Note: This is a developing story.
Ukrainian forces struck Russian city of Sochi on Sept. 14, causing fires and explosions around the city, eye witness videos show.
According to Ukrainian monitoring channels Exilenova+ and Supernova+, a large Ukrainian drone attack targeted sites in the Black Sea resort city located approximately 650 to 700 kilometers (400 to 435 miles) from the Ukrainian border in Russia's Krasnodar Krai region.
Footage from Sochi residents show explosions lighting up the night sky and at least one large fire burning in the city. Sochi Mayor Anatoly Pakhomov acknowledged that Russian air defense systems were at work.
At the time of publication, the Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the latest reports nor the extent of the damage caused. Ukraine's military has not yet commented on the reported attack.
The overnight strikes follow several recent Ukrainian attacks on Sochi. A Ukrainian sea drone damaged a beach promanade in the city on Sept. 10. Ukrainian forces also struck a Russian naval vessel and oil depot on Sept. 4.
Aiming to increase drone strikes across Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky warned airlines, insurers, and foreign governments on Sept. 1 that Russian airspace "will be de facto closed" because of Ukrainian drones.
