Flight restrictions imposed at Sochi airport

Sochi airport has suspended the arrival and departure of aircraft amid reports of a drone attack in the Krasnodar region. Residents of Kuban reported a fire in the village of Afipsky, where an oil refinery is located.

As "Kavkazsky Uzel" wrote, on the evening of August 27, restrictions were introduced at the Volgograd airport, seven flights were delayed on departure, five on landing.

Restrictions on the operation of Sochi airport were introduced tonight, said Rosaviatsiya press secretary Artem Korenyako.

“Temporary restrictions on the arrival and departure of aircraft have been introduced. The restrictions are necessary to ensure flight safety,” he wrote on his Telegram channel at 2:02 a.m. Moscow time.

According to the online board of the Sochi airport, the departure of six planes - two to Moscow, one each to St. Petersburg, Almaty, Antalya and Sharm el-Sheikh - is delayed by several hours. According to the schedule, all these flights were supposed to depart between 2.45 and 5.00 Moscow time. The arrival of the flight from Trabzon, scheduled for 3.30 Moscow time, is also delayed, and the flight from Moscow for 5.30 Moscow time is canceled.

Reports of a fire that started after a series of explosions in the village of Afipsky appeared in Telegram channels at about 3.40 Moscow time. According to local residents, “6-8 powerful explosions were heard around 3 a.m.,” after which a fire broke out “in the area of one of the local enterprises,” SHOT writes.

There is an oil refinery in the village of Afipsky, which has been attacked before. In particular, fires at the Afipsky Oil Refinery occurred on May 31 and October 29, 2023.  

Residents are publishing photos and videos from the scene of the fire, claiming that it is the oil refinery that is burning, although the authenticity of the footage has not been confirmed, reports the Telegram channel ASTRA (included in the register of foreign agents by the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation).

Official sources have not reported a fire in Afipsky as of 5.40 Moscow time.

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