logo
Ukrainian drone attack sparks massive fire at Russian oil depot near Sochi

Ukrainian drone attack sparks massive fire at Russian oil depot near Sochi

Economic Times6 days ago
Moscow: An overnight Ukrainian drone attack on an oil depot near Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi sparked a major fire, Russian officials said Sunday, as the two countries traded strikes.More than 120 firefighters attempted to extinguish the blaze, sparked after debris from a downed drone struck a fuel tank, Krasnodar regional Gov Veniamin Kondratyev said on Telegram. Videos on social media appeared to show huge pillars of smoke billowing above the oil depot.Russia's civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, temporarily stopped flights at Sochi's airport.
Further north, authorities in the Voronezh region reported that four people were wounded in another Ukrainian drone strike. Russia's Defence Ministry said its air defences shot down 93 Ukrainian drones over Russia and the Black Sea overnight into Sunday.
Meanwhile, in southern Ukraine, a Russian missile strike hit a residential area in the city of Mykolaiv, according to the State Emergency Services, wounding seven people.The Ukrainian air force said Sunday Russia launched 76 drones and seven missiles against Ukraine. It said 60 drones and one missile were intercepted, but 16 others and six missiles hit targets across eight locations.The reciprocal attacks came at the end of one of the deadliest weeks in Ukraine in recent months, after a Russian drone and missile attack on Thursday killed 31 people, including five children, and wounded over 150.
The continued attacks come after US President Donald Trump gave on Tuesday Russian President Vladimir Putin a shorter deadline - Aug. 8 - for peace efforts to make progress.
Trump said Thursday that special envoy Steve Witkoff is heading to Russia to push Moscow to agree to a ceasefire in its war with Ukraine and has threatened new economic sanctions if progress is not made.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Govt may roll out ₹2,250 crore export promotion mission soon: Official
Govt may roll out ₹2,250 crore export promotion mission soon: Official

The Hindu

timea minute ago

  • The Hindu

Govt may roll out ₹2,250 crore export promotion mission soon: Official

The government is expected to soon announce support measures under the proposed ₹2,250 crore export promotion mission to help insulate industry from global trade uncertainties arising from Trump tariffs, an official said. "We are in dialogue with exporters to see how we can support them best in different ways, like ease of doing business. We are looking at how to give a boost to domestic consumption. We are looking at new supply chains, which we can capture, new markets, and new products," the official said. The mission may include components, such as easy credit schemes for MSME and e-commerce exporters, facilitation of overseas warehousing, and global branding initiatives to tap emerging export opportunities. The government on February 1 announced the setting up of the mission with an outlay of ₹2,250 crore. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has already made a presentation on the mission to the representatives of export promotion councils and other key stakeholders on April 30. According to industry officials, the mission is divided into two broad categories - Providing Trade Finance Support (NIRYAT PROTSAHAN) and Driving International Holistic Market Access (NIRYAT DISHA) Initiative. Sources have earlier stated that the GST Council is likely to meet soon to discuss rate simplification and rationalisation, and the future of the compensation cess. It will help boost domestic consumption. The commerce ministry, in the past few days, held a series of stakeholder meetings to understand the challenges which they are facing due to high U.S. tariffs on Indian goods. US President Donald Trump has announced 50% tariffs on India. Sectors like textiles, chemicals, leather and footwear are expected to be hit hard by these duties. India's exports remained flat at $35.14 billion in June due to global economic uncertainties, while the trade deficit narrowed to a four-month low of $18.78 billion during the month. Key export sectors, including petroleum, fabrics, gems and jewellery, leather, iron ore, oil seeds, cashew, spices, tobacco, and coffee, recorded negative growth during June. During April-June 2025-26, exports increased 1.92% to $112.17 billion, while imports rose 4.24%nt to $179.44 billion.

Trump to lay out his plan for reducing crime in Washington
Trump to lay out his plan for reducing crime in Washington

Mint

timea minute ago

  • Mint

Trump to lay out his plan for reducing crime in Washington

President Donald Trump said he will lay out his administration's plan to reduce crime in the nation's capital, even as violent incidents in the District of Columbia are at a 30-year low. Trump said in a social media post that he will have a news conference on Monday that 'will, essentially, stop violent crime in Washington, DC.' Trump on Thursday directed an increased presence of federal law enforcement around Washington, DC, a day after threatening the federal government could seize control of it. That move came a day after a former member of his so-called Department of Government Efficiency was injured during an attempted carjacking in DC. The city, which has voted overwhelmingly for Democrats for decades, has also been seeking to end all federal control of the city, a movement known as 'home rule.' Violence has been dropping in the District for two years, according to local police data. As of Jan. 3, violent crime in DC in 2024 was at a 30-year low, according to the US Justice Department. Trump's powers to 'take over' the capital city are limited. Partial home rule was established by Congress in 1973, which allows residents to elect their own mayor, who appoints the police chief. Residents also elect a District council that can pass local laws. But those laws can be overturned by Congress, which approves the city's budget. Trump can't override the home rule law without Congress, but he can assign federal agents to conduct law enforcement operations inside the city and has done so before, acting independently of the Metropolitan Police Department. He has also said that he is considering deploying the National Guard in the city. The president has often, without evidence, cast cities around the country as crime-ridden, and has increased those complaints about DC since the former staffer was attacked. Trump said on his Truth Social platform earlier this week that he wants to 'federalize' the city if local officials don't do more to address crime. Trump has issued executive orders this year that created a panel to coordinate efforts to improve safety and address graffiti and vandalism in the city, along with one that ordered a crackdown on homeless encampments on federal lands.

India's Envoy Vinay Kwatra Speaks To US Senator Lindsey Graham Over Energy Security
India's Envoy Vinay Kwatra Speaks To US Senator Lindsey Graham Over Energy Security

News18

time15 minutes ago

  • News18

India's Envoy Vinay Kwatra Speaks To US Senator Lindsey Graham Over Energy Security

Last Updated: India's Ambassador Vinay Kwatra discussed energy security and trade with US Senator Lindsey Graham, who warned of tariffs on countries buying Russian oil, including India. India's Ambassador to the United States, Vinay Kwatra, held a conversation with South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham on Saturday and shared New Delhi's perspective on energy security and national interests. Kwatra also said that he held a discussion with Graham on increasing energy trade with Washington. 'Spoke to Senator @LindseyGrahamSC and shared with him the Indian perspective on our energy security, including increasing energy trade with the United States," the Indian envoy said in a post on X. Spoke to Senator @LindseyGrahamSC and shared with him the Indian perspective on our energy security including increasing energy trade with the United States.— Amb Vinay Mohan Kwatra (@AmbVMKwatra) August 9, 2025 It is noteworthy that Graham was one of the Senators who had issued warnings to countries doing business with Russia that US President Donald Trump would impose massive tariffs on their goods. In an interview with Fox News, the US senator had said, 'Trump is going to impose tariffs on people that buy Russian oil—China, India, and Brazil," arguing that the countries were helping fund the war in Ukraine as they accounted for around 80 per cent of Russia's crude exports. 'If you keep buying cheap Russian oil to allow this war to continue, we will tariff the hell out of you. And we're going to crush your economy, because what you are doing is blood money," he added. His warning had come weeks before Trump's 25% reciprocal tariff announcement for India. The US President intensified his tirade against New Delhi later, with an additional 25% tariff announcement for buying Russian oil. While the reciprocal tariffs have come into force, the additional duties will take effect starting August 27. Meanwhile, India has defended its energy strategy, saying that its crude oil purchases from Russia are 'a necessity compelled by global market conditions" and not a political endorsement of Moscow. It further asserted that the country will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security. 'India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security," the statement said, underlining the country's commitment to stable and affordable energy access for its citizens. The MEA termed the levies as 'unjustified and unreasonable" and called out the double standards of the United States and the European Union over their trade ties with Russia. The statement highlighted that the US continues to import uranium hexafluoride from Russia for its nuclear industry. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store