Drone strike on Russian beach kills 7, including 3 children
A drone strike on a crowded beach in southern Russia has killed seven people, including three children, according to local authorities.
Footage verified by the BBC shows a drone flying towards a cliff before exploding in a fireball on the beach, as holidaymakers watched from the shoreline and the water.
Krasnodar Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said 40 people were injured in the incident, with 17 requiring hospital treatment. He accused Ukraine of deliberately targeting civilians, although Kyiv has not commented on the allegation. Both Russia and Ukraine have repeatedly denied intentionally targeting civilians.
The intended target of the drone remains unclear. Some Ukrainian Telegram channels suggested the drone may have crashed after its signal was disrupted by electronic warfare. Russian media also quoted witnesses as saying they heard gunfire shortly before the explosion, raising the possibility that air-defence systems attempted to intercept the drone.
The incident occurred on a beach near Arkhipo-Osipovka, a popular Black Sea resort known for its warm weather, long coastline and tourist facilities. The area has attracted more Russian holidaymakers in recent years as international travel has become more difficult because of sanctions.
Residents and tourists told local media that no warning sirens were heard before the explosion.
One holidaymaker said people tried to shield themselves with sun loungers after hearing the blast, while another reported hearing what sounded like machine-gun fire before the explosion.
A third witness said the incident happened in front of their children and left one child severely distressed.
The attack comes amid an increase in Ukraine’s long-range strikes deep inside Russian territory over the past year. Kyiv says many of its targets, including energy facilities and commercial warehouses, have links to Russia’s military operations.
Some of those attacks have resulted in civilian deaths, with eight people reportedly killed in separate Russian cities over the weekend.
Russia, meanwhile, has carried out repeated attacks on Ukrainian cities and residential areas since launching its full-scale invasion in February 2022, resulting in thousands of civilian deaths and injuries.
On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at least nine people were killed and dozens injured in Russian ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv. The city’s mayor reported that a residential building in the Shevchenkivskyi district was partially destroyed, with people trapped inside.
A separate Russian strike last week on a building in Ukraine’s Kryvyi Rih region reportedly killed an entire family of 10.
In recent weeks, Ukrainian forces have also targeted warehouses belonging to Wildberries, one of Russia’s largest online retailers.
The latest reported strike hit a Wildberries warehouse in the Vladimir region, east of Moscow, overnight into Monday. Several of the company’s warehouses across Russia, including facilities located thousands of kilometres from Ukraine, have reportedly been targeted.
Kyiv has accused Wildberries warehouses of supplying Russia’s military, a claim Moscow rejects. The online marketplace has previously sold military-related products, including body armour, as well as goods that can have both civilian and drone-production uses.
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