A drone strike hit a busy beach in southern Russia, killing seven people including three children and injuring 40, local authorities said.

Russian officials said the attack occurred as tourists were on the shore and in the water near a cliffside. BBC-verified footage posted online shows a drone descending towards the coast before crashing and bursting into a fireball. Veniamin Kondratyev, governor of the Krasnodar region, said 17 of those hurt were taken to hospital.

Drone Crash near Arkhipo-Osipovka

The governor said Ukraine carried out “a deliberate strike on civilians”. Ukraine has not commented, and both sides deny that they deliberately target civilians.

It was not immediately clear what the drone was intended to hit. Some Ukrainian Telegram channels claimed the device crashed onto the beach after electronic warfare disrupted its signal. Several eyewitness accounts reported by Russian media said gunfire preceded the explosion, suggesting air defences may have attempted to shoot the drone down.

The incident took place on a Black Sea beach near the village of Arkhipo-Osipovka. The area is a popular holiday destination for Russians, with long beaches and tourist facilities, and it has seen steady demand since sanctions limited international travel.

No Warning Reported

Tourists and residents told local media that no sirens sounded before the attack. One holidaymaker said they shielded themselves with sun loungers and did not see where the drone landed. Another said they did not spot the moment of impact but heard what they described as machine-gun fire followed by an explosion. A third person said the attack happened in front of their children and that their child was experiencing a severe stress reaction.

Over the past year, Ukraine has carried out more long-range strikes into Russian territory, targeting energy infrastructure and commercial warehouses that it says are used for military purposes. Russian officials and state media have repeatedly said such attacks have resulted in civilian deaths. On the weekend, Russia said eight people were killed in different cities.

Russia, for its part, has launched attacks on residential areas and cities since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, killing and injuring thousands of civilians, according to Russian and international reporting.

Kyiv Strikes and Wildberries Depots

The beach attack came amid further exchange of strikes. On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian ballistic missile strikes on Kyiv killed at least nine people and left dozens injured. Kyiv’s mayor said a residential building in the Shevchenkivskyi district was partially destroyed, trapping people inside. Zelensky said last week a strike in Ukraine’s Kryvyi Rih region killed a family of 10.

In recent weeks, Ukrainian strikes have particularly targeted warehouses associated with Wildberries, a large online retailer known as the “Russian Amazon”. The latest strike hit a warehouse in the Vladimir region, east of Moscow, overnight into Monday, Russian state media reported. Dozens of Wildberries warehouses across Russia, many located thousands of kilometres from the Ukrainian border, have been hit.

Kyiv says Wildberries depots are used to supply the Russian military, a claim Moscow denies. However, the platform sold a range of military-related goods, including body armour, until recently, alongside items with both civilian and drone-related uses.

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4 August 2026

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Oh dear what a great shame but when you start a war expect it to come back home with uncompromising vengeance .. And never shoot down drones over a crowded beaches.

How tragic.

Dear Vlad. This is the concept that's known in warfare as blowback. You started this war and you were now paying the price for it. Nobody ever expected the Ukrainians to show the level of bravery, brilliance, and fortitude that they're now demonstrating. They very well might be responsible for bringing down the Russian Empire, and bringing an end to the horrific reign of Vlad the Impaler.

What the H is wrong with Putin ?

Time to take his thumb out of his a$$ .

Where is the retaliation for all the severe attacks of the recent months ?

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

Dear Vlad. This is the concept that's known in warfare as blowback. You started this war and you were now paying the price for it. Nobody ever expected the Ukrainians to show the level of bravery, brilliance, and fortitude that they're now demonstrating. They very well might be responsible for bringing down the Russian Empire, and bringing an end to the horrific reign of Vlad the Impaler.

@FlorCI know you're a big fan of Trump so I expect to see a thumbs down whenever there's something written critical about him, but what about Putin? How could you possibly be supportive of that genocidal creep at this point? Do you honestly believe that Russia is morally correct to wage this war against Ukraine?

1 hour ago, Tidal wave said:

Oh dear what a great shame but when you start a war expect it to come back home with uncompromising vengeance .. And never shoot down drones over a crowded beaches.

6 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

@FlorCI know you're a big fan of Trump so I expect to see a thumbs down whenever there's something written critical about him, but what about Putin? How could you possibly be supportive of that genocidal creep at this point? Do you honestly believe that Russia is morally correct to wage this war against Ukraine?

So let’s get this straight, you’re advocating for terrorist activities by the dictator no elections Zelensky, okay, got loud and clear.

4 minutes ago, novacova said:

So let’s get this straight, you’re advocating for terrorist activities by the dictator no elections Zelensky, okay, got loud and clear.

Zelensky is a modern day hero. A man who has truly risen to the cause under a time of great duress. The Ukrainian people are astonishing and wonderful. And they may actually be responsible for the decline of Putin and his super toxic, super corrupt Empire.

If you took every single nanogram of bravery, courage and intelligence that Donald Trump possessed, it would fit into the end tip of a Zelensky shoelace.

Edited August 4Aug 4 by spidermike007

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

Dear Vlad. This is the concept that's known in warfare as blowback. You started this war and you were now paying the price for it.

Vlad has a different opinion. In Russia, this is not called a "War", but rather a Special Military Operation. Do you know what the difference is? War can only be called military actions against territories that do not belong to you. During his visit to Belarus, Vlad told Lukashenko that in Ukraine he is returning what belongs to the Russians. Pay attention to how Vlad speaks about Ukraine's independence. He explains that Moscow granted Ukraine independence not unconditionally, but only on the condition of neutrality. Lavrov then reminds us that this conditional independence can be officially revoked by Moscow at any time.

4 minutes ago, novacova said:

the dictator no elections Zelensky

2 false assertions packed in 5 words.

47 minutes ago, novacova said:

So let’s get this straight, you’re advocating for terrorist activities by the dictator no elections Zelensky, okay, got loud and clear.

So, let's straighten this up for you.

Ukraine cannot hold elections during martial law; which was imposed when Putin launched the Russian invasion (Special Military Operation if you prefer).

The security of citizens from aerial bombardment when congregating at polling stations cannot be guaranteed; although I'm sure Putin would prefer the creation of easy targets.

There are large numbers of internally displaced people due to the invasion and occupation and ensuring all can take part is currently very difficult.

Any election system has to be free from outside influence and Russia has a very poor record of interfering in other countries at election time for Russia's benefit.

Deflection and lies do not prove a case.

Can Ukraine hold elections while at war? | Reuters

42 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Zelensky is a modern day hero. A man who has truly risen to the cause under a time of great duress. The Ukrainian people are astonishing and wonderful. And they may actually be responsible for the decline of Putin and his super toxic, super corrupt Empire.

If you took every single nanogram of bravery, courage and intelligence that Donald Trump possessed, it would fit into the end tip of a Zelensky shoelace.

41 minutes ago, Schoggibueb said:

2 false assertions packed in 5 words.

Both sides are equally responsible corrupt and instigators of a tit-for-tat that has been going on for decades, how far back in history do you want to go? Both are dictators and both force citizens to by gun point of busification to the frontlines. Evidently you folks don’t have a problem with any of that, including the terrorist activities of either both sides, or you’re just in a state of denial.

Edited August 4Aug 4 by novacova

2 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

@FlorCI know you're a big fan of Trump so I expect to see a thumbs down whenever there's something written critical about him, but what about Putin? How could you possibly be supportive of that genocidal creep at this point? Do you honestly believe that Russia is morally correct to wage this war against Ukraine?

Me a big fan of Trump ?

A big fan of some of his policies. (policies that you , mikey don't like)

I hate the MF for this israel war and the rest of his broken promises.

Putin a genocidal creep ?? No those creeps are in israel and the WH.

You asked for it : YES, Russia is morally correct to wage this war against Ukraine.

I like Putin , but he is too weak. I don't like how he is handling this war / special military operation.

How can you be supportive of this nato/globalist war ?

6 hours ago, novacova said:

So let’s get this straight, you’re advocating for terrorist activities by the dictator no elections Zelensky, okay, got loud and clear.

The terrorist and dictator sit in Moscow!!!

Edited August 4Aug 4 by snowgard

I find it extremely unlikely that the Ukraine would risk continued public support by striking civilians in Rissia. On the other hand, I find it extremely likely that Putin would order the hit and blame it on the Ukraine to get the Russian public on his side.

43 minutes ago, pacovl46 said:

I find it extremely unlikely that the Ukraine would risk continued public support by striking civilians in Rissia. On the other hand, I find it extremely likely that Putin would order the hit and blame it on the Ukraine to get the Russian public on his side.

Would be a possibility. But in my oppinion the drone was downed by russian electronic warfare or "gunfire".

If you go back in the timeline of the russian aggression against Ukraine, Russia said earnestly that Ukrainian civil targets were only hit because their (russian) drones were distracted by ukrainian antidrone units...

23 hours ago, Schoggibueb said:

Would be a possibility. But in my oppinion the drone was downed by russian electronic warfare or "gunfire".

If you go back in the timeline of the russian aggression against Ukraine, Russia said earnestly that Ukrainian civil targets were only hit because their (russian) drones were distracted by ukrainian antidrone units...

Yeah, could be the case as well. Speaks volumes about the Russians, though. They shoot it down and then blame it on the Ukraine when civilians get hit on the ground!