Russia, Ukraine trade blame after drone explosion kills 7, including 3 children

Russia and Ukraine traded blame after a drone slammed into a beach in the Black Sea resort town of Gelendzhik. Russian officials said seven people were killed.

The beach was packed, many vacationers lounging near the turquoise waters when the drone slammed into the white sand and burst into a fireball.

Russian officials said seven people, including three children, were killed and 58 others injured by the explosion in the Black Sea resort town of Gelendzhik on Monday. The explosion was captured on video and shared on social media, and verified by NBC News.

Moscow accused Ukraine of targeting civilians, which would constitute a war crime, and unleashed a barrage of aerial strikes on its neighbor. Ukraine’s attacks inside Russia come as its own civilians faced deadly Russian bombardment throughout the summer.

Ukrainian officials did not confirm they were responsible, but they also did not deny it.

“What happened today was a deliberate strike by the Kyiv regime against the civilian population — people who have absolutely no connection to military infrastructure,” Veniamin Kondratyev, the governor of the Krasnodar region, said on his official Telegram channel. “There can be no justification for such a cynical and inhumane terrorist act targeting children.”