MOSCOW — A Ukrainian drone attack Tuesday evening has triggered a fire on a Liberian-flagged oil tanker off Russia’s Black Sea coast.The Russian transport ministry said firefighters so far had not been able to tackle the blaze due to its intensity, but a crew of 23 Indians had been rescued. It said that the tanker had been attacked by “naval drones” and that “crude oil is burning openly in the waters of the Black Sea”. The ministry added that firefighters will again attempt to tackle the blaze once it becomes less intense.Videos and photos circulated widely on social media from Sochi — a popular resort city of almost 500,000 people — showing bright orange flames out at sea and a thick column of black smoke billowing into the sky.Access to the coast and beaches was being restricted, the city’s mayor said on social media.Ukraine says its attacks on Russia’s oil infrastructure are fair retribution for Moscow’s nightly barrages of its towns and cities.Both sides have vowed to escalate strikes in recent weeks.Russia has begun pummelling key bridges in Kyiv and striking the heart of the capital with daytime drone attacks — a new tactic that has plunged the city into gridlock.Previous Ukrainian attacks on oil sites in southern Russia have resulted in oil slicks forming, beaches being closed and toxic black rain falling from the skies.MOSCOW — A Ukrainian drone attack Tuesday evening has triggered a fire on a Liberian-flagged oil tanker off Russia’s Black Sea coast.The Russian transport ministry said firefighters so far had not been able to tackle the blaze due to its intensity, but a crew of 23 Indians had been rescued. It said that the tanker had been attacked by “naval drones” and that “crude oil is burning openly in the waters of the Black Sea”. The ministry added that firefighters will again attempt to tackle the blaze once it becomes less intense.Videos and photos circulated widely on social media from Sochi — a popular resort city of almost 500,000 people — showing bright orange flames out at sea and a thick column of black smoke billowing into the sky.Access to the coast and beaches was being restricted, the city’s mayor said on social media.Ukraine says its attacks on Russia’s oil infrastructure are fair retribution for Moscow’s nightly barrages of its towns and cities.Both sides have vowed to escalate strikes in recent weeks.Russia has begun pummelling key bridges in Kyiv and striking the heart of the capital with daytime drone attacks — a new tactic that has plunged the city into gridlock.Previous Ukrainian attacks on oil sites in southern Russia have resulted in oil slicks forming, beaches being closed and toxic black rain falling from the skies.
Ukraine drone attack triggers huge tanker fire off Russia’s Black Sea coast
