Russia on Monday accused Ukraine of carrying out a drone attack on the Black Sea resort city of Gelendzhik, saying the strike killed seven people, including
three children, and injured 40 others. Veniamin Kondratyev, governor of Russia's Krasnodar region, described the incident as a tragedy and accused Kyiv of intentionally targeting civilians. Ukrainian authorities did not immediately comment on the incident. Both Moscow and Kyiv have consistently denied deliberately targeting civilians during the war, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Videos circulating on social media and verified by Reuters appeared to show a drone crashing into a crowded beach area near Gelendzhik, followed by a large explosion.
"What happened today was a deliberate attack by the Kyiv regime on the civilian population, which has no connection whatsoever to military infrastructure," Kondratyev said in a post on Telegram.
Local authorities said emergency medical teams were dispatched to the holiday village of Arkhipo-Osipovka, part of the wider Gelendzhik resort area, where the explosion occurred.
Russia's Health Ministry said 21 people, including three children, were taken to hospital, with nine reported to be in serious condition.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Ukraine of resorting to what she described as acts of terrorism.
A Ukrainian kamikaze drone hit a beach in Gelendzhik, Russia; killing 4 people and injuring 13 others. pic.twitter.com/EER8zd3ldd
— Clash Report (@clashreport) August 3, 2026
The incident follows a similar accusation by Moscow last month, when it claimed a Ukrainian strike on a holiday camp in Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia killed 11 people, including four children.
Since the war began, Russia has carried out repeated missile and drone strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, causing widespread destruction and civilian casualties. Thousands of civilians have been killed during the conflict, the majority of them in Ukraine.
In recent months, Ukraine has intensified long-range drone attacks inside Russia, primarily targeting oil refineries, logistics hubs and other infrastructure that it says support Moscow's war effort.
