Sochi oil depot reportedly erupts in flames again days after Ukrainian strikes
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An oil depot in the Russian city of Sochi appeared to reignite on Sept. 7, three days after being struck by Ukrainian drones, Russian Telegram media channels reported.
Videos posted by Sochi residents on social media appear to show the oil depot, owned by Russia's state energy company Rosneft, ablaze and billowing smoke. The Russian monitoring Telegram channel ExileNova+ reports that authorities are asking local residents to close their windows due to heavy smoke in the coastal vacation destination.
At the time of publishing the Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the reports nor the extent of the damage caused.
It was not immediately clear as to what caused the oil depot to reportedly reignite. Russian Air raid alerts in the region were not activated ahead of the blaze.
The latest fires come days after Ukrainian forces launched several waves of attacks against targets in Sochi on Sept. 3-4, including a naval drone strike on a Russian vessel.
Known as Russia’s "Second Capital," Sochi is home to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s official summer residence. Considered a winter playground for Russia’s elite, the city is located approximately 650 to 700 kilometers (400 to 435 miles) from the Ukraine border.
For months, Ukraine has conducted a sustained campaign of drone and missile strikes against Russian oil infrastructure. Damage to energy facilities has prompted Moscow to impose export restrictions as domestic supplies have tightened and long queues have formed across the country.
Ukraine's General Staff announced on September 4 that two major Russian oil facilities have suspended operations following Ukrainian drone strikes in August.
Lukoil's NORSI refinery in Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, located about 800 kilometers (nearly 500 miles) from the Ukrainian border, was shut down due to damage suffered in a Ukrainian drone attack on Aug. 26. The facility is Russia's fourth-largest oil refinery and second-largest gasoline producer, processing around 15-17 million metric tons of crude oil annually.
The General Staff also said the Novatek-Ust-Luga complex in Slobidka, Leningrad Oblast, had suspended operations following Ukrainian drone strikes on Sept. 1. Located about 850 kilometers (nearly 530 miles) from the Ukrainian border, the facility is one of Russia's largest ports on the Baltic Sea and home to an oil terminal that serves as a major hub for exporting crude oil and petroleum products.
