Children killed as drone explodes on Russian beach
Multiple people, including children, have been killed after debris from a drone fell on a beach in Russia and exploded.
Footage on social media, which has been verified by a number of media outlets including the BBC, shows an object falling from the sky onto a beach of a Black Sea resort area, near Gelendzhik.
An explosion connected to a drone on a beach near Gelendzhik, Russia, on the Black Sea, killed multiple people. Supplied
Watchers scream and call out after the explosion.
Local authorities said in a statement that at least seven people, including three children, were killed, with at least 40 more injured.
It’s not clear why the drone came down, with Russian regional governor Veniamin Kondratiev stating the deaths stemmed from “debris” from a “UAV”.
However, he also accused Ukraine of a “deliberate strike” targeting civilians, according to the BBC.
CNN’s analysis of video that shows the drone hitting the beach found that seconds before the explosion, automatic gunfire from at least three weapons is audible.
A drone explosion on a beach in Russia near the city of Gelendzhik has killed at least seven people. Supplied
During the gunfire, the drone veers sharply and dives into the beach. The drone appeared to overshoot a Russian radar installation just west of the beach where it came down.
In a statement to CNN, the head of the Ukrainian government’s Centre for Countering Disinformation, Andriy Kovalenko, said Russian air defence forces had shot down the drone over “a beach full of vacationers”.
“And pathetic efforts by the Russian authorities, who often conceal air raid alerts or fail to do everything necessary to ensure Russians’ safety during such alerts,” he said.
“The deaths of Russians on the beach in Gelendzhik are entirely the fault of the Russian air defence forces.
“Ukraine uses its weapons exclusively against Russia’s military-industrial complex (and) economic infrastructure that affects Russia’s ability to finance the war.”
Drone warfare has become increasingly integral to Ukraine’s strategy. AP
Ukraine and Russia have both denied targeting civilians during the ongoing war, but non-combatant deaths have been reported on both sides.
Russia’s Krasnodar region is frequently targeted by Ukrainian forces, where they have previously attacked naval assets and oil infrastructure.
The Novorossiysk Naval Base, which is the primary hub for Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, is located about 40km away from the resort town of Gelendzhik.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also reportedly has a palace near the town, though the Kremlin’s spokesperson has previously denied the Russian leader was linked to any estate there.
Smoke rises over the city after a Russian attack on Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky
Over the past month, Ukraine has edged up lethal strikes on Russia, targeting energy infrastructure, factories making weapons, military hardware sites and shipping facilities.
At least 61 people were killed and 327 others wounded from July 24 to July 31 by Ukrainian drone strikes and shelling, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, said last Friday.
On July 18, at least eight people were killed by Ukrainian drone attacks in Russia – marking the deadliest salvo reported inside the country in more than two years.
That same month in Ukraine, Russian attacks killed at least 377 civilians and injured 2129 others, making it the deadliest month of the invasion since April 2022.
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