TWO influencers have been arrested after posting a TikTok posing in front of a flaming Russian plant following a Ukrainian strike.
A drone dramatically exploded the military-linked Rosneft-Kubannefteprodukt oil depot in Sochi.
TikTokers Dasha Vladimirovna, 21, and Karina Evgenyevna, 19, were filmed rapping in front of the burning facility.
They are captured in footage glorying in the Ukrainian strike which Putin’s air defences failed to prevent.
The video was posted to a track Crimson Dawn by singer Endshpil, a Russian rapper.
Dasha and Karina were also with a man – but it was unclear if he had been hauled to the police as well.
A police “wanted” notice only specified the two women.
According to a police report, an online publication was discovered featuring two young women recording a video against the backdrop of a fire in Sochi before they were identified as influencers.
It added: “The police have initiated an investigation, measures are being taken to identify the girls, and their actions will be legally assessed.”
The pair were later confirmed to have been detained, with pro-war media outlets demanding a public apology from them for their actions near Sochi airport.
Yekaterina Mizulina, a Kremlin-appointed internet watchdog and head of Russia’s Safe Internet League, commented, “The youth are creating content with drones flying over Sochi at night in the background.”
“I wonder what’s wrong with the instinct for self-preservation?
“Don’t they understand that this is simply dangerous?”
But the real reason for their arrest is the potential glamourising of a Ukrainian strike in Russia’s largest resort.
Moscow takes an increasingly aggressive, extreme stance against social media stunts seen as highlighting Ukraine’s successes in the war.
A Ukrainian outlet Pravda Gerashchenko mocked: “Russian zoomers are happy about the burning oil depot in [Sochi] – a new location for selfies.
“Ukrainian defence forces will definitely try to create as many such locations as possible.”
The song “conveys a search for direction, belonging and hope through music and the hip-hop community,” said one source.
“It reflects on life’s struggles, yearning for freedom, and finding strength and identity through artistic expression.”
Russian forces last night bombed a key bridge used to transport military logistics in the Ukrainian frontline city of Kherson.
Footage shows a Russian airstrike destroying the key road crossing on the Dnipro River after dropping two guided bombs.
The attack damaged a bridge connecting the city to the Korabel neighbourhood.
A few homes and a high-rise residential building were also damaged, officials said.
A defiant Vladimir Putin has snubbed peace and is instead steadily increasing his overnight bombing raids – which could soon hit 1,000 a day.
Governor Oleksandr Prokudin urged residents of the Korabel district to evacuate, citing complications with logistics and infrastructure.
He wrote on Telegram: “As a result of the enemy airstrike, logistics have been complicated.
“Because of this, it will be difficult to deliver food and other things for the time being.”
Kherson Oblast, which is just near the Russian-occupied Crimean region, is frequently targeted by the Russians.
Kyiv appeared to retaliate with a large-scale drone offensive on Sochi, Russia’s key resort city, where it’s rumored that Putin is refurbishing one of his palaces.
Regional Governor Veniamin Kondratyev stated that over 120 firefighters were battling to control a fire at an oil depot, which was ignited by the drone strikes.
A massive fuel tank with a capacity of 2,000 cubic metres was on fire, Russia’s RIA news agency reported.
Some 30 huge explosions led to a massive inferno at the facility close to the main airport often used by the Russian dictator.
