Russian Black Sea Beach Struck by Drone Attack, Killing Seven, Including Children

Vacationers in the village of Arkhipo-Osipovka near Gelendzhik fled in panic Monday after a projectile struck a crowded beach, killing seven people and injuring dozens, according to regional officials.

Video footage shows the incident took place as the beach was filled with visitors. The Russian Mission in Geneva posted on X that the attack was carried out by a Ukrainian drone, accusing Kyiv of targeting civilians in what they called a “bloody attack.”

Veniamin Kondratyev, the regional governor, said emergency services responded to the scene. “What happened today is a targeted attack by the Kyiv regime against civilians who have no connection to the military infrastructure. This cynical and inhumane terrorist attack against children cannot be justified,” he wrote on Telegram.

Ukraine’s Defense Forces officer Andriy Kovalenko disputed Russia’s account, stating that Russian air defenses intercepted a drone, causing debris to fall onto the beach and result in casualties. Kovalenko said, “Russian air defense shot down a drone over people lying on the beach.”

Preliminary Russian reports indicated that some of the deaths resulted from falling drone debris, Kondratyev added. Video footage captured sounds resembling gunfire just before the drone struck, with the drone appearing to veer sharply before diving toward the beach, causing a fireball explosion that sent bystanders fleeing.

Kovalenko also accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of downplaying the incident and limiting air raid warnings, suggesting that Russia used its weapons against Ukrainian military targets to weaken Moscow’s war effort. He claimed, “Putin deliberately killed these people. Because if he had not started the war and struck Ukraine, they would be alive.”

The incident intensified tensions amid ongoing accusations and counterclaims over responsibility for the attack.

Source: Original Article