Oil Tanker with 23 Indian Crew Attacked Near Black Sea, All Rescued

Ukraine struck an oil tanker off the southern Russian coast on Tuesday evening, triggering a massive fire near the resort city of Sochi. Russia's transport ministry said a Liberian-flagged tanker had been attacked by "naval drones" and that "crude oil is burning openly in the waters of the Black Sea". The incident created a huge fire and black smoke cloud that blanketed parts of Sochi, a resort city of almost 500,000 people.

Firefighters could not tackle the blaze due to its intensity. However, all 23 crew members aboard the vessel—all Indian citizens—were successfully rescued. Russia's transport ministry confirmed the crew evacuation despite the severity of the fire. Access to the coast and beaches in Sochi was being restricted following the attack, according to the city's mayor.

Both Russia and Ukraine have heavily targeted commercial shipping around the Black Sea since the start of the conflict in 2022. Ukraine says its attacks on Russia's oil infrastructure are fair retribution for Moscow's nightly barrages of its towns and cities. Previous Ukrainian attacks on oil sites in southern Russia have resulted in oil slicks, beach closures, and toxic black rain.