Drone crash on Russian Black Sea beach kills seven, injures dozens
An unmanned aircraft exploded on a crowded beach in the Krasnodar region of Russia, killing seven people, including three children, and wounding around 40 others.
Seven people were killed and about 40 injured after a drone crashed and exploded on a Black Sea beach in the Russian town of Arkhipo-Osipovka, officials said on Monday. Video footage verified by local media showed the aircraft descending toward the crowded shore before detonating on impact, prompting bathers to flee. The regional emergency response team reported that three of the dead were children and that 21 victims required hospitalization.
Veniamin Kondratyev, the governor of Krasnodar region, accused Ukraine of targeting civilians, stating, "This attack against children cannot be justified." No Ukrainian officials have commented on the incident, and authorities said the drone's intended target and the reason for its crash remain unclear.
The attack follows a series of cross-border strikes in the area, which has seen heightened military activity amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. Russian air raids earlier this month killed roughly 400 Ukrainian civilians, while Ukraine has intensified its own long-range strikes against Russian infrastructure, including recent hits on commercial facilities.