Forest Fire Erupts Near Putin’s Palace Following Ukrainian Drone Crash

Emergency services were combatting a forest fire in the southern Krasnodar region on Thursday following the crash of a Ukrainian drone in a forested area near the Black Sea resort town of Gelendzhik.

Authorities in Krasnodar reported that remnants of a drone intercepted by air defense triggered fires at three distinct locations near the village of Krinitsa, situated approximately 10 kilometers (6 miles) east of the well-known estate often referred to as “Putin’s Palace.”

By Thursday afternoon, the flames had engulfed 17 hectares (42 acres), necessitating the involvement of over 100 emergency responders, 27 vehicles, and a Beriev Be-200 firefighting aircraft. According to emergency officials, a boat was deployed to rescue 23 vacationers who were stranded by smoke.

In a separate incident, a fire caused by a drone assault on the Afipsky oil refinery was extinguished around 8:20 a.m. local time. This refinery, which has an annual processing capacity of approximately 6 million metric tons of crude oil, has endured multiple attacks since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with the most recent occurring in early August.

No injuries or fatalities were reported following either drone incident.

Russia’s Defense Ministry noted that air defense systems intercepted 18 out of the 102 drones that Ukraine launched at the Krasnodar region overnight.