A major fire broke out at a large oil storage facility near the Black Sea resort city of Sochi. Local officials reported that a drone launched from Ukraine caused the incident. As a result, Sochi International Airport temporarily suspended operations.
Krasnodar region governor Veniamin Kondratyev stated that drone debris hit a fuel tank, and 127 firefighters were working at the scene.
Meanwhile, the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv was hit by a Russian missile strike. According to local authorities, homes and civilian infrastructure were damaged, and at least seven civilians were injured. Ukraine’s Emergency Services confirmed that three people were hospitalized.
The attack on the Sochi oil depot is one of several drone strikes carried out by Ukraine throughout the week, also targeting southern Russian cities such as Ryazan, Penza, and Voronezh. The governor of Voronezh reported that four people were injured in a drone strike.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, 93 drones launched from Ukraine were detected overnight, of which 60 were intercepted over the Black Sea. Ukraine’s Air Force stated that Russia launched 83 or 76 drones and seven missiles, 61 of which were shot down. However, 16 drones and six missiles struck eight locations in Ukraine.
Last week, a missile strike on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv killed at least 31 people. The incident is considered one of the deadliest attacks on the city since the war began in February 2022.
Amid rising tensions, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the international community to impose tougher sanctions on Russia. U.S. President Donald Trump strongly condemned Russia’s actions and issued a statement on new sanctions.
In July, Trump gave Russia a 50-day ultimatum to end the war, warning of heavy duties on Russian oil exports if it failed to comply. He has now shortened that deadline to 10 or 12 days, setting a new cutoff date of August 8.
These events further underscore that the war between Russia and Ukraine continues with high military intensity, putting civilians at great risk.
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