A Ukrainian drone attack on Tuesday evening set fire to a Liberian-flagged oil tanker carrying an all-Indian crew off Russia's Black Sea coast, triggering a massive blaze that sent a column of black smoke over the resort city of Sochi.
Russia's transport ministry said the tanker, the Aframax Rio, was attacked by "naval drones," causing crude oil to burn openly on the waters of the Black Sea. Firefighters were initially unable to approach the vessel because of the intensity of the blaze. All 23 crew members — Indian nationals — were rescued, and no injuries were reported, the ministry said.
Coastline restricted as smoke blankets Sochi
Videos and photographs circulating on social media showed bright orange flames burning offshore and thick black smoke billowing into the sky near Sochi, a popular resort city of almost 500,000 people. The city's mayor said access to the coast and beaches was being restricted. Authorities in the Sirius federal territory closed beaches and began monitoring air and water quality, with local administration head Dmitry Plishkin saying pollutant levels remained well below maximum permissible concentrations and posed no health threat.
Escalation in Black Sea shipping war
Commercial shipping around the Black Sea has come under repeated attack since the conflict began in 2022. Ukraine maintains that its strikes on Russia's oil infrastructure are retaliation for Moscow's nightly barrages of Ukrainian towns and cities, while Russia has in recent days struck grain vessels carrying Ukrainian goods near the Romanian coast. Both sides have vowed to escalate strikes in recent weeks, with Russia also hitting bridges in Kyiv with daytime drone attacks.
The incident came a day after a separate attack off the Romanian coast in which a ship caught fire and sank, killing one person and leaving one missing, with one Indian crew member injured — an incident Ukraine attributed to Russia. The Indian Embassy in Romania said three Indian nationals were aboard that vessel and it was in contact with authorities on their welfare.
Sources: Arab News: Ukraine drone attack triggers huge tanker fire off Russia's Sochi | NDTV: Ukraine drone attack sets fire on oil tanker with 23 Indian crew
Russia's transport ministry said the tanker, the Aframax Rio, was attacked by "naval drones," causing crude oil to burn openly on the waters of the Black Sea. Firefighters were initially unable to approach the vessel because of the intensity of the blaze. All 23 crew members — Indian nationals — were rescued, and no injuries were reported, the ministry said.
Coastline restricted as smoke blankets Sochi
Videos and photographs circulating on social media showed bright orange flames burning offshore and thick black smoke billowing into the sky near Sochi, a popular resort city of almost 500,000 people. The city's mayor said access to the coast and beaches was being restricted. Authorities in the Sirius federal territory closed beaches and began monitoring air and water quality, with local administration head Dmitry Plishkin saying pollutant levels remained well below maximum permissible concentrations and posed no health threat.
Escalation in Black Sea shipping war
Commercial shipping around the Black Sea has come under repeated attack since the conflict began in 2022. Ukraine maintains that its strikes on Russia's oil infrastructure are retaliation for Moscow's nightly barrages of Ukrainian towns and cities, while Russia has in recent days struck grain vessels carrying Ukrainian goods near the Romanian coast. Both sides have vowed to escalate strikes in recent weeks, with Russia also hitting bridges in Kyiv with daytime drone attacks.
The incident came a day after a separate attack off the Romanian coast in which a ship caught fire and sank, killing one person and leaving one missing, with one Indian crew member injured — an incident Ukraine attributed to Russia. The Indian Embassy in Romania said three Indian nationals were aboard that vessel and it was in contact with authorities on their welfare.
Sources: Arab News: Ukraine drone attack triggers huge tanker fire off Russia's Sochi | NDTV: Ukraine drone attack sets fire on oil tanker with 23 Indian crew
