A suspected Ukrainian drone strike has killed one person and injured another after explosions rocked an oil depot and surrounding area in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai, early on July 24. According to Dmitri Plishkin, head of the Sirius Federal Territory, the attack began at about 1am local time and lasted until roughly 3am.
Writing on Telegram, he urged residents to avoid the area, adding: “There was a hit on the oil depot on Tavricheskaya Street.” Emergency crews and utility workers remain at the scene responding to the aftermath.
Meanwhile, further drone-related explosions were reported in Sochi, a major resort city on the Black Sea, where local officials confirmed one fatality and one injury, reported the Kyiv Independent. Sochi hosted the Winter Olympics in 2018.
Independent Russian media outlets described multiple blasts in the area, although full details remain unclear. Sochi airport also briefly imposed temporary flight restrictions during the overnight bombardment, Russia’s state aviation agency Rosaviatsia said.
Ukraine’s military has not commented on the incident, which has not been independently verified.
However, Kyiv has stepped up deep strikes on Russian military infrastructure in recent weeks as it seeks to undermine Moscow’s logistics and combat capability.
Krasnodar Krai, located in southwestern Russia along the Black and Azov seas, has seen a rise in attacks since the beginning of the full-scale war.
Just two days earlier, drones reportedly struck the city of Novocherkassk in neighbouring Rostov Oblast. Ukrainian sources claimed the target was a railway hub used by the Russian army.
Another fire broke out at a train station in Kamenolomni, Rostov, on July 21 following a similar assault.
While details remain sketchy, the overnight explosions underscore Ukraine’s continued efforts to bring the war to Russian territory — and to hit Moscow’s fuel and transport networks where it hurts.
Posting on X, former Ukrainian interior ministry spokesman Anto Geraschenko shared clips, commenting: “Russian Telegram channels report a drone attack on Sochi in Russia’s Krasnodar region last night.
“Reportedly, the Lukoil oil depot, railway warehouses at the Sochi freight yard, and the Operations Control Center were hit.
“Also, there were reports that drones may have hit a railway bridge in the Moldovka area – a key logistics route used by the Russian army to transport personnel, equipment, and ammunition to the front line.”