At least seven people, including three children, were killed after a drone struck a crowded beach near the Black Sea resort of Gelendzhik on Tuesday, Russian authorities said.
More than 40 others were injured in what is believed to be one of the deadliest attacks on a civilian leisure area since the war began.
The explosion occurred at Arkhipo Osipovka, a popular holiday destination in Russia’s Krasnodar region.
Regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev said 40 people sustained injuries, with 21 requiring hospital treatment. Russian officials blamed Ukraine for the attack, although Ukrainian authorities had not commented as of Tuesday evening.
Authorities have not confirmed whether the drone struck the beach directly or was intercepted by Russian air defences before crashing.
Videos shared online captured the sound of sustained gunfire moments before the explosion. A suggestion that air defence systems may have been attempting to shoot down the drone.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova accused Western countries of supporting terrorism following the incident.
“Not long ago, NATO and the EU declared a policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism. Now, they themselves have become part of international terrorist activity,” she told state news agency TASS.
Military analysts noted there was no evidence that the beach itself had been the intended target.
The area is located about 40 kilometres from a Russian naval base and is also close to several other potential military installations. Witnesses said no warning sirens were activated before the blast.
“We were on the beach, we didn’t have time to leave,” one holidaymaker told local media.
Another recalled hearing “gunfire, like a machine gun” shortly before the explosion.
The beach attack came as Russia and Ukraine continued exchanging long-range strikes.
Another Wildberries Attack
Earlier on Tuesday, a Ukrainian drone reportedly hit a warehouse belonging to Russian retailer Wildberries in the Vladimir region. The attack injured four people, according to regional officials.
The latest incidents followed Russian missile strikes on Kyiv on Saturday that Ukrainian authorities said killed at least nine people and injured several others.
As the conflict continues, drone warfare has increasingly extended beyond the front lines. Both Russia and Ukraine have targeted locations deep inside each other’s territory.
