Emergency responders were working vigorously to contain a forest fire in southern Krasnodar region on Thursday, following the crash of a Ukrainian drone in a forested area close to the Black Sea resort of Gelendzhik.
Local authorities in Krasnodar reported that debris from a drone intercepted by air defense systems ignited fires in three separate locations near the village of Krinitsa, situated approximately 10 kilometers (6 miles) east of the estate commonly referred to as “Putin’s Palace.”
By Thursday afternoon, the blaze had expanded to 17 hectares (42 acres), necessitating the involvement of over 100 emergency personnel, 27 vehicles, and a Beriev Be-200 firefighting aircraft. Officials indicated that a boat was deployed to rescue 23 vacationers who were trapped by smoke.
In a separate incident, a fire ignited by a drone strike at the Afipsky oil refinery was extinguished around 8:20 a.m. local time. This refinery, which has an annual crude processing capacity of about 6 million metric tons, has been targeted several times since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with the latest incident occurring in early August.
No injuries or fatalities were reported as a result of either drone strike.
Russia’s Defense Ministry stated that air defenses intercepted 18 out of the 102 drones launched by Ukraine during the night targeting the Krasnodar region.
