By Antonio Scancariello

 

MOSCOW, 07 Oct. - (ANA) - Dramatic pictures shared online purportedly show a ship on fire in the Black Sea off the coast of Sochi, Russia, amid rising tensions between Moscow and NATO. It is unclear what kind of ship is on fire, and the Daily Express has been unable to verify the images. Residents of the popular Russian tourist spot are reporting a large fire on one of the tankers in the port.

 

Reports from the independent Ukrainian news agency UNN said the fire broke out on an oil tanker. The agency said that "apparently, a vessel carrying oil or petroleum products caught fire after an attack by a naval drone or UAV".

 

Local reports also added that there has been a leak of flammable materials. At the moment, the condition of the crew and the extent of the damage are unknown. The vessel was reportedly identified as the Liberian-flagged AFRAMAX RIO and believed to be part of the Russian shadow fleet. Russian newspaper Kommersant said "the 23-person crew of the Aframax Rio tanker was brought ashore after being attacked by unmanned boats in the Black Sea". All crew members are Indian citizens, the Russian Ministry of Transport told TASS.

 

According to the latest reports, no explosions were reported before the fire broke out. Beaches in Sochi have been closed, and the head of the administration of the federal territory, Dmitry Plishkin, has reportedly confirmed the oil tanker fire. According to local media, no one was injured in the incident.

 

Last month, Sochi was reportedly struck by Ukrainian forces, the Kyiv Independent reported. It also said, "a large Ukrainian drone attack targeted sites in the Black Sea resort city located approximately 650 to 700 kilometres (400 to 435 miles) from the Ukrainian border in Russia's Krasnodar Krai region".

 

The Black Sea resort of Sochi dates only from the end of the 19th century. In 1887, its population was only 98. Sochi has been twinned with Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, since 1959. This was suggested by the Russians, possibly because both are spas.  - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/07 October 2026 - - -