Oil tanker burns off Russia’s Sochi after naval drone attack, sending smoke billowing over the coast. Photos and videos.

An oil tanker caught fire October 6 in the Black Sea off Sochi, in the waters of the Sirius federal territory. Russia’s Transport Ministry said uncrewed boats attacked the vessel. All 23 crew members of the Liberian-flagged tanker were evacuated. Preliminary reports said the tanker Aframax Rio was carrying crude oil from Novorossiysk to India.

A column of smoke from the burning vessel was visible for many kilometers, and the smell of burning reached central Sochi. Sochi and Sirius authorities closed all beaches because of the fire and urged residents to keep their windows and doors shut, wear protective masks when going outside, or, better yet, avoid going outside altogether.

The news outlet Sochi1.ru reported that on the evening of October 6, people continued strolling along the Primorskaya Embankment and cafes remained open, with vacationers only occasionally remarking, “It looks like something’s on fire.” No sirens sounded in Sochi that day, and there was no warning of an attack.

Rospotrebnadzor said on the morning of October 7 that the tanker fire has not polluted the Black Sea near Sochi, though monitoring of the situation continues. Sochi authorities said pollutant levels in the air have not exceeded the maximum permissible concentration. The beaches, however, remained closed as of midday.

Ukrainian naval drones attacked the Sochi embankment on September 9 (which Russia’s Defense Ministry refers to as “uncrewed boats”). The attack injured almost 30 people. A warning about the threat of an attack was issued, but witnesses said many vacationers did not react to it at first and only began to flee after the explosions.