A fire broke out at a position of a Russian air defense system near Sochi on the night of October 11. The NASA FIRMS satellite system registered the outbreak at 02:29 local time.
The monitoring group “Crimean Wind“ reported a fire in an air defense military unit with number 03110 in the “Sirius“ federal territory, near Sochi. Previously, an air alert was declared in the area, and flights to and from the local airport were temporarily restricted.
According to the military portal “Military“ The position was attacked by strike drones of the Ukrainian Defense Forces. There is no official confirmation of the extent of damage to Russian equipment or the cause of the fire.
Previous strike on the S-300 system
This is the second reported case of a Russian air defense position being hit at the same location in about a month. The previous attack hit an S-300 system, followed by a detonation of missiles. According to data cited by “Military“, both the launcher and the area where additional elements of the complex were located were hit.
The same attack also hit oil infrastructure in the Sochi region. Analysis of satellite images showed that at the “Rosneft“ base Six tanks were destroyed, and three more were destroyed or damaged at the “Lukoil-Yugnaftoprodukt“ facility.
Airport restrictions
Rosaviatsia introduced restrictions on the arrival and departure of aircraft at Sochi Airport on the night of October 11. According to “Interfax“, the measures were lifted at 09:21 Moscow time, but the airport remained closed for technical reasons until 11:12.
Russian aviation authorities also reported that debris from a drone had fallen on the airport grounds. A fire broke out in an administrative building, which was extinguished without any injuries. Debris also fell elsewhere in Sochi, with damage reported to private properties and hotels.
There is currently no independent confirmation of the type of drones used, damage to air defense positions, or casualties among servicemen.
Sources: unian.net, interfax.ru, militanyi.com