A Russian warship fires a missile during naval drills on protecting Arctic shipping route held in the waters of the Chukchi and Bering Seas and on the Chukchi Peninsula, in an unknown location, in this still image taken from video released September 18, 2023. Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. MANDATORY CREDIT. WATERMARK FROM SOURCE.
On Saturday, Russia announced that it had intercepted and destroyed two attack drones over the Black Sea, near the southern resort city of Sochi.
For several months, Ukraine has been using drones to target Russian cities. However, the mountain and seaside resort of Sochi had, until now, seen minimal drone attacks.
“The incident occurred today at approximately 7:10 a.m. in Sochi (0410 GMT),” stated Alexei Kopaygorodskiy, the governor of the southern Krasnodar region, on social media. He confirmed that two drones were successfully downed over the sea.
“There were no casualties or damage in the city,” he said, adding that the airport was working “normally” and that “the situation was under control.”
The Russian army said it had thwarted a “terrorist attack by the Kyiv regime,” adding that air defense “destroyed two drones” over the Black Sea “near the coast of the Krasnodar region.”
While the governor said the airport was working normally, Russian media reported there were disruptions at the time of the attack.
The Interfax news agency, citing the press service of the airport, said there were temporary restrictions at the airport for safety reasons.
Last month, Russia reported a large fire at a fuel depot near the airport in Sochi, with some influential media channels saying it was caused by a Ukrainian drone.
Sochi, a popular destinations for many Russians, is known for its Olympic Park built for the 2014 Winter Games.
