A projectile struck a crowded beach in Russia's Black Sea resort town of Arkhipo-Osipovka on Monday, killing seven people, including four children, and injuring 58 others, according to officials.
Video footage captured the moment a projectile hit the beach, which was filled with vacationers at the time. The incident sent beachgoers scrambling for safety amidst sounds resembling gunfire just before the strike.
Russian officials, including regional Governor Veniamin Kondratyev, accused Ukraine of a "bloody attack" and a "targeted attack by the Kyiv regime against civilians." The Russian Mission in Geneva stated that a drone launched by Ukraine was responsible for the strike on civilian infrastructure.
However, Andriy Kovalenko, an officer with Ukraine’s Defense Forces, disputed Russia's account. Kovalenko claimed on Telegram that the deaths were caused by Russian air defenses intercepting a drone, which then sent debris onto the beach. He suggested that the drone appeared to veer sharply before striking the shore.
Preliminary Russian reports also indicated that some of the casualties were caused by "falling drone debris," Governor Kondratyev stated.
Kovalenko further asserted that Ukraine targets Russian military-industrial infrastructure to impact Moscow's war financing. He accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of creating an "illusion" of safety within Russia by downplaying explosions and positioning air defenses near populated areas. Kovalenko suggested that Putin's decisions related to the war led to the deaths on the beach.