Adler oil depot burned after Ukrainian drones struck overnight, igniting a 2,000 cubic meter fuel tank near Sochi, southern Russia, around 530 km from the frontline. The strike forced a halt to flights at Sochi airport while emergency crews worked through the night to contain the blaze. The attack targeted Rosneft’s Kubannefteproduct oil depot on Aviatsionnaya Street in Adler, right next to the airport.

The oil depot includes 41 tanks with a combined capacity of around 31,200 cubic meters.

Ukrainian drones strike Adler oil depot again

In the early hours of 3 August, Ukrainian strike drones hit the Adler district of Sochi in Krasnodar Krai. Telegram channels Astra and Exilenova+ reported that the drones struck the Rosneft-Kubannefteproduct oil depot, causing a powerful fire. Local authorities confirmed the fire and the suspension of flights. The depot sits not far from the Sochi airport, which led to an immediate halt to flight operations.

Mayor Andrii Proshunin of Sochi, Krasnodar Krai Governor Veniamin Kondratiev, and Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations confirmed a drone attack on the depot, and the fire. They claimed that falling debris from destroyed drones caused a single tank to ignite. Footage from the site, however, shows two ignition points at the facility.

The Ministry of Emergency Situations said the fire broke out in a fuel tank with a volume of 2,000 cubic meters. They also claimed that debris from drones damaged five garages in a cooperative and a shop, which also caught fire. Governor Mikhail Kotyukov said,

“In Adler district, drone debris hit a fuel tank, causing a blaze. 127 personnel and 35 units of equipment have been deployed to eliminate the consequences of the fire.”

Flights disrupted at Sochi airport

The strike forced the closure of Sochi airport for more than two hours overnight. Airport services later announced that disruptions would continue for at least a day.

“Together with airlines, we are doing everything possible to stabilize the regular schedule as soon as possible, but it will take 1–2 days,” airport representatives said.

Drones reach Voronezh and other areas

On the same night, drones also targeted other areas. Governor Aleksandr Gusev of Voronezh Oblast claimed that 15 drones were downed over Voronezh city and Liskinsky district. Russian officials said debris from drones caused fires and damaged single-family homes. Explosions and fires were reported across Voronezh.

Exilenova+ reported that the activity of electronic warfare systems led to several dorne crashes and fires across Voronezh.

A separate fire was reported at the Kstovo oil depot in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast after a drone threat was announced in the area, though it remains unclear whether that was a result of a Ukrainian strike.

Second strike on Adler oil depots in weeks

This attack marks the second major strike on oil infrastructure in Adler in recent weeks. On 24 July 2025, Ukrainian drones struck the Lukoil-Yugnefteproduct depot, which likely supplies Sochi International Airport. That strike caused a large fire at the site.

Drone attacks on 2 August across Russia

The Adler oil depot follows a wave of Ukrainian drone attacks on 2 August across Russian territory.

• On that day, drones attacked oil refineries in Ryazan and Samara Oblast’s Novokuybyshevsk.
• Ukrainian sources confirmed that earlier attacks on Penza damaged the Elektropibor and Radiozavod plants, which produce radio-electronic equipment for the Russian armed forces.
• Ukrainian drones also struck a radar complex for monitoring space objects near Feodosia in Russian-occupied Crimea.
• The same day, drones attacked the Likhaya-Zamchalovo railway power substation in Rostov Oblast, which Russia uses to supply its occupying forces in Ukraine, and an airfield in Prymorsko-Akhtarsk that launches Shahed drones.
• Separately, on 2 August, an explosion occurred on the Central Asia–Center gas pipeline in Volgograd Oblast near the village of Dynamivske in Nekhaivsky district. The blast disabled the pipeline, and gas transit was stopped indefinitely, according to Militarnyi, citing sources in special services.

A Ukrainian drone strike has hit a Lukoil oil depot near Sochi International Airport, killing two civilians and injuring 11 others, including a traffic police officer. The explosion sparked a massive fire and forced the airport to suspend operations, triggering widespread flight delays and chaos across regional hubs.

This marks one of the most severe drone attacks inside Russia this year, underscoring the expanding reach of Ukrainian drone warfare and the growing risks to energy and transportation hubs far from the front lines.

The targeted facility, Lukoil-Yugnefteprodukt, is located on Tavricheskaya Street in the Sirius settlement of Krasnodar Krai. The governor of the region, Veniamin Kondratyev, confirmed the casualties and urged locals to avoid the area due to ongoing emergency response efforts.

Flights delayed, passengers stranded

Nearly 800 passengers bound for Sochi are now stranded in Novosibirsk, Omsk, and Tomsk, according to Russia’s West Siberian Transport Prosecutor’s Office. More than 60 flights were delayed as authorities raced to contain the situation and assess damage to critical infrastructure.

Ukraine hits Sochi — a drone strike blows up a Lukoil oil depot and grounds flights at Russia’s top Black Sea resort.

Oil depot in flames
Flights canceled
Attack deep inside Russian territory

Video: Astra pic.twitter.com/YcznbXQwjV

— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) July 24, 2025

Railway and fuel infrastructure also damaged

Ukrainian sources, including the Telegram channel Exilenova+, reported that drones also struck a railway bridge and additional oil facilities near Adler and Sochi Airport. Eyewitness videos from Sochi and Abkhazia captured massive explosions and thick black smoke rising from the scene.

Strategic strike amid escalation

Russia’s Ministry of Defense said seven drones were intercepted overnight in Krasnodar Krai, but confirmed that debris from one UAV struck Sochi, causing the fatalities and fire.