Fire engulfed a fuel depot after a tank exploded
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A fuel tank exploded near an oil depot and airport in the Russian resort city of Sochi, which hosted the 2014 Winter Olympics. According to media reports, it was preceded by a drone attack. Russian officials have not yet confirmed the reports, and an investigation is underway.
The mayor’s office said a report of a fire in the Adler district, a beach area known for the Olympic Park, came in at 5:15am local time on Wednesday.
Sochi Mayor Aleksey Kopaigorodsky said that no one was injured as a result. “The airport and the entire transport system are operating normally,” he stated, noting that the fire was put out.
The media reported that before the fire broke out, locals heard a sound similar to the “roll of thunder.” Special services are now working at the site of the explosion. According to Baza Telegram channel, they found the wreckage of a drone of an unidentified model.
Since the beginning of the military operation in Ukraine, Russian regions, as well as the capital, Moscow, have been attacked by kamikaze drones. Most of the UAVs have been shot down by Russian air defense systems or neutralized by electronic warfare systems.
Ukraine has stepped up its attacks on Russian territory amid its much-hyped ‘counteroffensive’. The head of the Ukrainian intelligence service, Kirill Budanov, said the efforts are aimed at “seeding disquiet among the population.”
READ MORE: Ukrainian drone attacks on Crimea and Moscow thwarted – MOD
Russian President Vladimir Putin called the Ukrainian offensive “not a misstep, but a failure,” noting that Russia has never refused to negotiate a settlement to the conflict.
