A drone strike on a crowded beach in southern Russia has killed seven people, including three children, according to local authorities.
The incident occurred at a beach near the village of Arkhipo-Osipovka in Russia’s Krasnodar region on the Black Sea. Social media footage verified by the BBC shows a drone flying toward a cliffside before crashing and exploding on the beach as tourists watched from the shore and the water.
Krasnodar Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said 40 people were injured in the attack, with 17 requiring hospital treatment. He accused Ukraine of carrying out “a deliberate strike on civilians.”
Ukraine has not commented on the incident. Both Russia and Ukraine have consistently denied deliberately targeting civilians during the conflict.
The intended target of the drone remains unclear. Some Ukrainian Telegram channels claimed the drone crashed after its signal was disrupted by electronic warfare, while Russian media quoted eyewitnesses who reported hearing gunfire before the explosion, suggesting air defence systems may have attempted to shoot it down.
Residents and tourists in Arkhipo-Osipovka told local media that no air raid sirens were sounded before the incident. Several eyewitnesses described scenes of panic, with one tourist saying they took cover behind sun loungers, while another recalled hearing gunfire followed by a loud explosion.
The attack comes amid an increase in long-range Ukrainian drone strikes targeting locations deep inside Russia, including energy facilities and warehouses that Kyiv claims are used for military purposes.
Meanwhile, Russia has continued missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities since the start of its full-scale invasion in February 2022, with Ukrainian authorities reporting further civilian casualties in recent strikes.
Source: BBC
