Seven killed after UAV debris falls on crowded Gelendzhik beach
At least seven people, including three children, died and dozens were injured when debris from a Ukrainian drone struck a beach in Gelendzhik, Russia, officials said.
At least seven people were killed and about 40 injured when debris from an unmanned aerial vehicle fell onto a crowded beach in the Black Sea resort town of Gelendzhik, officials in Russia's Krasnodar region reported. Three of the dead were children. Regional governor Veniamin Kondratiev said the victims were killed "when debris from a UAV fell" and expressed his condolences to the families.
Kondratiev said 21 of the injured were hospitalized while 19 received medical treatment. It remains unclear whether the drone was shot down by Russian air defenses or crashed on its own. Video analysis showed automatic gunfire from at least three weapons seconds before the drone veered sharply and descended onto the beach, apparently overshooting a nearby radar installation.
"This was the work of Russian air defense forces, which shot down the drone over a beach full of vacationers," said Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation. He added that the incident was the fault of Russian air defenses and that Ukraine targets only military and economic infrastructure.
The incident follows a recent series of cross-border strikes, with Russian officials noting dozens of civilian casualties from Ukrainian drone attacks in July, while Russian attacks on Ukraine have also caused significant civilian losses.