Drone horror at Russian beach: Seven killed as tourists watch in shock

A video shared online, which the BBC said it verified, shows a drone hurtling towards a cliffside before crashing into the beach below in a fiery explosion as tourists watched from the shore and while swimming in the sea.

The attack left at least 40 people injured, with 17 of them hospitalised, Krasnodar region Governor Veniamin Kondratyev told the BBC.

Kondratyev accused Ukraine of carrying out "a deliberate strike on civilians."

According to reports, the incident occurred on a beach near the village of Arkhipo-Osipovka on Russia's Black Sea coast, a popular holiday destination.

Local residents told the BBC that no air raid sirens were heard before the drone struck.

"We covered ourselves with sun loungers, and didn't see where it exploded," one holidaymaker told the broadcaster.

Another witness said they did not see the drone hit but heard "gunfire, like a machine gun," followed by a loud explosion.

"This all happened in front of my children. My child is having a nervous breakdown," a third eyewitness told the BBC.

The reported strike comes amid continued exchanges of attacks between Russia and Ukraine.

Recently, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at least nine people were killed and dozens injured in Russian ballistic missile strikes on Kyiv.

"Since last night, response efforts have been underway in Kyiv and the surrounding region following Russia's strike. There were numerous fires across the city. Seven districts were affected, and, as usual, the Russians struck ordinary residential buildings. Eighteen residential buildings, a school, the Lithuanian Embassy, and infrastructure facilities were damaged. As of now, nine people have been reported killed in this attack," Zelenskyy wrote on X.

Meanwhile, civilian casualties in Ukraine surged during the first half of 2026 amid intensified Russian attacks and the increased use of destructive weapons, according to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU).

The UN mission said at least 293 civilians were killed and 1,990 injured in June, making it the deadliest month for civilians since April 2022.

May had already recorded the highest number of civilian casualties in more than four years, with 282 people killed and 1,794 injured, but June surpassed that toll, according to the HRMMU.