Overview

• Ukraine’s general staff on Monday confirmed it had carried out a drone strike on the Rosneft-Kubannefteprodukt oil depot in Sochi, causing a fire that Mayor Andrei Proshunin said was extinguished hours later with no casualties.
• Influencers Dasha Vladimirova, 21, and Karina Evgenieva, 19, filmed a TikTok video at the burning depot while playing the song “Crimson Dawn,” prompting a police “wanted” notice after it went viral.
• They were arrested immediately after the video was posted and charged under an emergency conduct law that carries fines of up to 30,000 rubles for failure to comply with rules during an emergency.
• Russian police released footage of the two issuing a public apology in which they pledged not to repeat their actions, a move intended to deter social media displays of Ukrainian military success.
• The incident illustrates Moscow’s tightening social media controls and highlights the growing information war as Ukraine targets Russian energy infrastructure in retaliation for its 2022 offensive.