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A drone has hit a busy beach in southern Russia, exploding in a fireball on impact. The local governor said seven people including three children were killed and 40 injured.
He accused Ukraine of “a deliberate strike on civilians, while Russia’s foreign ministry called it an act of terrorism. Ukraine has not commented. Both Ukraine and Russia deny targeting civilians deliberately.
In social media footage verified by the BBC, a drone can be seen hurtling towards a cliffside before exploding on the beach below as tourists look on from the shore and in the water.
It is unclear what the drone was targeting. Some Ukrainian Telegram channels have claimed it crashed onto the beach as a result of electronic warfare which jammed the drone’s signal. Several eyewitnesses were quoted by Russian media as saying gunfire preceded the explosion, indicating that the drone may have been shot down.
The crash occurred on a beach near the village of Arkhipo-Osipovka on the Black Sea. With its warm climate, long beaches and developed tourist infrastructure it is a popular holiday destination for Russians, in particular since sanctions have curtailed international travel for many.
In the last year Ukraine has had increasing success in carrying out long-range strikes deep into Russia, hitting energy infrastructure and commercial warehouses it says are used for military purposes. These strikes have caused civilian deaths, with eight people in different Russian cities killed at the weekend.
Russia has repeatedly launched attacks on residential areas and cities from the start of its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, killing and injuring many civilians.
Recent Ukrainian strikes have targeted warehouses belonging to Wildberries – a large online retailer known as the “Russian Amazon”. Kyiv says Wildberries depots are used to supply the Russian military, which Moscow denies.
Clive Myrie presents BBC News at Ten reporting by James Landale and Steve Rosenberg.
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