An oil tanker carrying 23 Indian crew members caught fire off Russia’s southern coast after a Ukrainian drone attack on Tuesday evening. All 23 crew members were rescued safely, Russia’s Transport Ministry said.

The Liberian-flagged tanker was struck by “naval drones”, according to the ministry. The attack triggered a major fire and sent thick black smoke over Sochi, a popular Russian resort city on the Black Sea coast. The incident raised fresh concerns over the growing risks faced by commercial vessels operating in the region.

Several videos and photographs circulating on social media showed bright orange flames burning offshore. Thick black smoke was seen rising over Sochi. The city’s mayor said authorities were restricting access to the coastline and beaches after the fire.

Sochi has nearly 5,00,000 residents and attracts large numbers of visitors to its beaches. The fire also created difficulties for emergency teams. Russia’s Transport Ministry said the intensity of the blaze prevented firefighters from tackling it directly. Hindustan Times could not independently verify the authenticity of the videos.

The incident comes amid a rise in attacks targeting commercial shipping in and around the Black Sea since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Both Russia and Ukraine have increasingly targeted infrastructure linked to their opponent’s war effort.

Last month, Russia also struck grain vessels carrying Ukrainian goods near Romania’s coast. Romania is a member of the European Union. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said one of the vessels was carrying Ukrainian grain to Egypt when it was hit by a Russian missile shortly after leaving Ukrainian territorial waters. He said there were no casualties in that incident.

Ukraine has defended its attacks on Russian oil infrastructure as retaliation for repeated Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities and towns. Moscow and Kyiv have also threatened to intensify their attacks in recent weeks.

Russia has stepped up strikes on key bridges in Kyiv and carried out daytime drone attacks on the Ukrainian capital. The attacks have caused major traffic disruptions across the city.

Previous Ukrainian strikes on oil facilities in southern Russia have also caused environmental and public safety concerns. Some attacks have resulted in oil slicks, beach closures and reports of toxic black rain.

The latest tanker fire adds to the growing dangers for civilian and commercial shipping in the Black Sea as the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues to spread its impact beyond military targets.