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Russian “Ultra Modern” S-400s Fail to Stop Ukrainian Drone Strike on Sochi Oil Depot
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Drones ignited a massive fire at an oil depot in the Adler district of Sochi, a southern Russian city, one of the largest resorts in Russia, located on the shore of the Black Sea overnight, local officials and the Head of Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation, Andrii Kovalenko, confirmed on July 24.
Dmitry Plishkin, urban-type settelment “Sirius”, said in a public message that a drone hit caused the fire at a facility on Tavricheskaya Street. “There was a strike on the oil depot… I urge everyone to avoid the area, both by car and on foot,” he wrote.
The targeted facility is believed to be the Lukoil-Yugnefteprodukt oil terminal, which likely supplies fuel to Sochi International Airport.
Adler. Sochi Airport. Footage of the oil depot strike and objective control.
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Video footage from residents captured the roar of engines, aerial explosions, and fires lighting up the night sky.
Witnesses described seeing multiple fixed-wing drones over Sochi, as Russian air defense systems—including S-300 and S-400 missile batteries—attempted intercepts directly above residential neighborhoods.
The drone strikes were not limited to a single location. According to Russia’s Defense Ministry, at least seven drones were shot down over Krasnodar Krai, while another 32 were intercepted over the Black and Azov Seas. Despite those efforts, several drones made it through.
One unmanned aerial vehicle crashed in the Sirius settlement, just two kilometers from the Sirius music school, where Russian leader Vladimir Putin met with students and educators in May. That same day, he reportedly phoned Donald Trump from the educational center.
Another drone exploded in the Adler district on Aviatsionnaya Street, leading to civilian casualties. According to Krasnodar region’s emergency headquarters, a woman died and another was critically injured after drone debris fell on a garage cooperative, sparking a fire.
Regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev later confirmed that the total number of injured had risen to eleven, with four people hospitalized.
Sochi’s airport suspended operations from 11:08 p.m. to 3:05 a.m., delaying nearly 100 flights in total, according to reports from the Telegram channel Mash.
Earlier, a drone strike targeted the Shchekinoazot chemical complex in the Tula region of Russia. At least four drones hit the facility, igniting a fire in one of the rectification columns.
