Russia says seven killed and 40 injured by Ukrainian drone hitting busy beach
✓A drone hit a busy beach in southern Russia, killing seven people including three children, local authorities have said.
In social media footage verified by the BBC, a drone can be seen hurtling towards a cliffside before crashing into a fireball on the beach below as tourists look on from the shore and in the water.
The total number of injured reached 40, with 17 people hospitalised, said the governor of the Krasnodar region Veniamin Kondratyev.
He accused Ukraine of "a deliberate strike on civilians". Ukraine has not commented. Both sides deny targeting civilians deliberately.
It is unclear what the drone was targeting. Some Ukrainian Telegram channels have claimed it crashed onto the beach as a result of electronic warfare which jammed the drone's signal. Several eyewitnesses were quoted by Russian media as saying gunfire preceded the explosion, indicating that air defences may have tried to shoot the drone down.
The crash occurred on a beach near the village of Arkhipo-Osipovka on the Black Sea. With its warm climate, long beaches and developed tourist infrastructure it is a popular holiday destination for Russians, in particular since sanctions have curtailed international travel for many.
Tourists and residents of Arkhipo-Osipovka told local media outlets that no sirens sounded ahead of the drone attack.
"We covered ourselves with sun loungers, and didn't see where it exploded," said one holidaymaker. Another person said that while they did not see the drone hit they could hear "gunfire, like a machine gun" followed by an explosion.
"This all happened in front of my children. My child is having a nervous breakdown," said a third.
Over the course of the last year Ukraine has had increasing success in carrying out long-range strikes deep into Russia, hitting energy infrastructure and commercial warehouses it says are used for military purposes.
On several occasions these strikes have caused civilian deaths, with eight people in different Russian cities killed at the weekend.
Russia meanwhile has launched attacks on residential areas and cities from the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, killing and injuring thousands of civilians.
On Saturday, at least nine people were killed and dozens injured in Russian ballistic missile strikes on Kyiv, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The city's mayor said a residential building in the Shevchenkivskyi district was partially destroyed, trapping people inside. Last week a strike on a building in Ukraine's Kryvyi Rih area killed a family of 10.
In recent weeks Ukrainian strikes have in particular targeted warehouses belonging to Wildberries – a large online retailer dubbed the "Russian Amazon".
The latest strike hit a warehouse in the Vladimir region, east of Moscow, overnight into Monday. Dozens of Wildberries warehouses dotted around Russia – many located thousands of kilometres from the Ukrainian border – have now been hit.
Kyiv says Wildberries depots are used to supply the Russian military, which Moscow denies. Yet the platform sold a variety of military-related goods such as body armour until recently, alongside items with both civilian and drone-production applications.
Read the full story at BBC ↗ · The Guardian ↗
A drone impacted a beach in southern Russia's Krasnodar region, killing seven people and injuring 40, with 17 hospitalised. Verified video shows the drone striking the area; eyewitnesses reported gunfire preceding the explosion, indicating possible air defence activity. Local authorities blamed Ukraine for a deliberate strike on civilians. Ukraine has not responded to the accusation. The cause remains unclear—Russian officials claim Ukrainian targeting, while some Ukrainian sources suggest electronic warfare interference. The beach near Arkhipo-Osipovka is a popular tourist destination. No warning sirens sounded before impact. This follows a pattern of Ukrainian strikes deep into Russian territory over the past year, including attacks on energy infrastructure and commercial facilities. Russia has conducted sustained attacks on Ukrainian civilian areas since February 2022, with recent strikes killing civilians in Kyiv and other cities.
Read the full story at BBC ↗ · The Guardian ↗
A drone hit a busy beach in southern Russia, killing seven people including three children, local authorities have said.
In social media footage verified by the BBC, a drone can be seen hurtling towards a cliffside before crashing into a fireball on the beach below as tourists look on from the shore and in the water.
The total number of injured reached 40, with 17 people hospitalised, said the governor of the Krasnodar region Veniamin Kondratyev.
He accused Ukraine of "a deliberate strike on civilians". Ukraine has not commented. Both sides deny targeting civilians deliberately.
It is unclear what the drone was targeting. Some Ukrainian Telegram channels have claimed it crashed onto the beach as a result of electronic warfare which jammed the drone's signal. Several eyewitnesses were quoted by Russian media as saying gunfire preceded the explosion, indicating that air defences may have tried to shoot the drone down.
The crash occurred on a beach near the village of Arkhipo-Osipovka on the Black Sea. With its warm climate, long beaches and developed tourist infrastructure it is a popular holiday destination for Russians, in particular since sanctions have curtailed international travel for many.
Tourists and residents of Arkhipo-Osipovka told local media outlets that no sirens sounded ahead of the drone attack.
"We covered ourselves with sun loungers, and didn't see where it exploded," said one holidaymaker. Another person said that while they did not see the drone hit they could hear "gunfire, like a machine gun" followed by an explosion.
"This all happened in front of my children. My child is having a nervous breakdown," said a third.
Over the course of the last year Ukraine has had increasing success in carrying out long-range strikes deep into Russia, hitting energy infrastructure and commercial warehouses it says are used for military purposes.
On several occasions these strikes have caused civilian deaths, with eight people in different Russian cities killed at the weekend.
Russia meanwhile has launched attacks on residential areas and cities from the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, killing and injuring thousands of civilians.
On Saturday, at least nine people were killed and dozens injured in Russian ballistic missile strikes on Kyiv, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The city's mayor said a residential building in the Shevchenkivskyi district was partially destroyed, trapping people inside. Last week a strike on a building in Ukraine's Kryvyi Rih area killed a family of 10.
In recent weeks Ukrainian strikes have in particular targeted warehouses belonging to Wildberries – a large online retailer dubbed the "Russian Amazon".
The latest strike hit a warehouse in the Vladimir region, east of Moscow, overnight into Monday. Dozens of Wildberries warehouses dotted around Russia – many located thousands of kilometres from the Ukrainian border – have now been hit.
Kyiv says Wildberries depots are used to supply the Russian military, which Moscow denies. Yet the platform sold a variety of military-related goods such as body armour until recently, alongside items with both civilian and drone-production applications.
Read the full story at BBC ↗ · The Guardian ↗
A drone struck a beach near Arkhipo-Osipovka in Russia's Krasnodar region Seven people including three children were killed and 40 injured, with 17 hospitalised Video verified by the BBC shows a drone crashing into the beach area Eyewitnesses reported gunfire before the explosion Russia's Krasnodar governor accused Ukraine of 'a deliberate strike on civilians' Ukraine has not commented on the incident Some Ukrainian sources claim electronic warfare jammed the drone's signal No warning sirens sounded before the drone impact Ukraine has carried out increasing long-range strikes into Russia over the past year Russia has launched attacks on residential areas and cities since February 2022, killing thousands of civilians This was a deliberate Ukrainian attack The drone crashed as a result of electronic warfare rather than Ukrainian targeting
Read the full story at BBC ↗ · The Guardian ↗
- A drone struck a beach near Arkhipo-Osipovka in Russia's Krasnodar region, killing seven people including three children and injuring 40 others, according to local authorities
- Video verified by the BBC shows a drone hitting the beach; eyewitness accounts mention gunfire before the explosion, suggesting air defence involvement
- Ukraine has not commented; Russia attributes the strike to deliberate Ukrainian targeting, while Ukrainian sources claim electronic warfare caused the drone to crash