On Monday, August 3, 2026, Russia reported that a drone attack on its Black Sea holiday resort of Gelendzhik resulted in seven deaths, including three children, and injured 40 others. The regional governor, Veniamin Kondratyev of Krasnodar, condemned the incident as a "deliberate attack by the Kyiv regime on the civilian population, which has no connection whatsoever to military infrastructure."

Social media videos verified by Reuters showed what appeared to be a drone crashing into a crowded beach near Gelendzhik, followed by a loud explosion. It remains unclear whether Russian forces attempted to use electronic jamming or other air defense measures to divert the drone before it hit the beach.

A specialist medical team was dispatched to the holiday village of Arkhipo-Osipovka, part of the Gelendzhik resort area, to assist with the aftermath. The Russian health ministry reported that 21 people, including three children, were hospitalized, with nine in serious condition.

There was no immediate response from Ukraine, which, like Russia, denies deliberately targeting civilians in the ongoing conflict that began in 2022.

Sources