On Monday, Russia reported that seven people, including three children, were killed and another 40 injured in a drone attack targeting a crowded beach in Gelendjik, located along the Black Sea. The Kremlin claims this strike was deliberately initiated by Ukraine against civilians.
There was no immediate response from Ukraine. Both countries assert that they do not intentionally target civilians in the ongoing conflict that began with Russia’s invasion in 2022.
Social media footage verified by Reuters appears to show a drone striking the popular beach, followed by a significant explosion.
Veniamin Kondratiev, the governor of the Krasnodar region where Gelendjik is situated, described the incident as a tragedy. “What happened today was a deliberate attack by the Kiev regime on the civilian population, which has no connection to military infrastructure,” he stated in a public message on Telegram.
Local authorities dispatched a specialized medical team to the explosion site in Arhipo-Osipovka, part of the Gelendjik resort area. The Russian Health Ministry reported that 21 individuals, including three children, were hospitalized, with nine in critical condition.
Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, accused Ukraine of resorting to terrorism, as reported by state agency TASS.
Last month, Russia accused Ukrainian forces of killing 11 people, including four children, in an attack on a holiday camp in a Russian-occupied area of Ukraine’s Zaporizhia region.
Russia has repeatedly launched attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, displacing millions and causing widespread destruction. Thousands of civilians, most of whom are Ukrainians, have lost their lives since the conflict began.
In recent months, Ukraine has intensified long-range strikes within Russian territory, primarily targeting oil refineries and logistics warehouses for e-commerce, aiming to make Russian citizens feel the cost of the war.
