A Ukrainian drone struck a crowded beach in Arkhipo-Osipovka, near Gelendzhik on Russia's Black Sea coast, on August 3, 2026. Moscow reported six people killed and 40 injured in the strike.
The resort sits a few miles from Vladimir Putin's summer palace. Video from the scene showed the drone falling onto the beach and exploding among swimmers, and a special disaster medical team rushed to the site. A separate post on X by the account Clash Report cited four deaths and 13 injured.
Officials react
The Krasnodar regional administration described the strike as a deliberate attack on civilians, while Moscow accused Kyiv of terrorism. Ukraine had not immediately commented.
A witness told local media they were on the beach at the moment of the attack and were in complete shock. Another described swimmers hiding behind a rock and sun loungers, and a third said they saw a man with a bloodied shoulder.
Wider offensive
The strike came hours after Ukraine launched one of its most intense drone barrages since the war began, hitting oil refineries, warehouses, a drone factory and the Engels-2 military base. Russia said it was strengthening protection for ships in the Azov and Black Sea basin and searching for alternative cargo routes, according to the Daily Mail.
