A Ukrainian drone attack has triggered a fire on a Liberian-flagged oil tanker carrying an all-Indian crew off Russia’s Black Sea coast. The Russian transport ministry said that firefighters so far had not been able to tackle the blaze due to its intensity, but a crew of 23 had been rescued. 

It said that the tanker had been attacked by “naval drones” and that “crude oil is burning openly in the waters of the Black Sea”. The ministry added that firefighters will again attempt to tackle the blaze once it becomes less intense.

The incident happened near Sochi, a popular resort city of almost 500,000 people. Visuals of the incident circulating on social media showed bright orange flames out at sea and a thick column of black smoke billowing into the sky near the resort city of Sochi.

Access to the coast and beaches was being restricted, the city’s mayor said on social media.

The attack came a day after another ship caught fire and sank off the Romanian coast, killing one and leaving one missing. Ukraine said the drone attack, in which one Indian crew member was also injured, was launched by Russia.

Russia and Ukraine have been heavily targeting commercial shipping around the Black Sea since the start of the conflict in 2022, with Russia in recent days hitting grain vessels carrying Ukrainian goods near the coast of EU member Romania.

Ukraine, on the other hand, claims its attacks on Russia’s oil infrastructure are fair retribution for Moscow’s nightly barrages of its towns and cities.

Both sides have vowed to escalate strikes in recent weeks.

Russia has begun pummelling key bridges in Kyiv and striking the heart of the capital with daytime drone attacks — a new tactic that has plunged the city into gridlock.

Previous Ukrainian attacks on oil sites in southern Russia have resulted in oil slicks forming, beaches being closed and toxic black rain falling from the skies.