In Gelendzhik, in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai, all beaches have been closed due to the risk of drone attacks, Mayor Alexei Bogodistov has reported. According to him, beaches in the Kabardinsky and Divnomorsky districts are also closed to the public.
On 8 August, Gelendzhik came under attack from drones once again, according to Radio Free Europe’s Russian Service. Air-raid sirens sounded around midday local time. Residents of the city report that the drones damaged a dry cargo ship at sea not far from the coast. The OSINT channel Exilenova+ claims that the same ship had already been attacked by drones yesterday evening.
A plume of smoke is also visible within the city limits; the exact location where the drone crashed has not yet been specified. Exilenova + and the Falcon Insight project suggest that Military Unit 2156 and the border guard training ground located next to it may have been targeted by the UAV.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is currently unable to verify these claims through independent sources. The Ukrainian military has not yet commented on this attack. Earlier today, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported, amongst other things, an attack on the Ilsky Oil Refinery in the Krasnodar Krai of the Russian Federation.
On 3 August, the town beach in the village of Arkhipo-Osipovka, near Gelendzhik, was attacked by a drone. Seven people were killed in the explosion and dozens were injured. Eyewitnesses claimed that there were no sirens or other warnings prior to the drone attack. As reported by the Russian publication ‘Agency’, the drone’s crash onto the beach may have been caused by it being shot down – this was stated by a representative of the Conflict Intelligence Team research group. This theory was supported by the fact that the sound of automatic gunfire in the video stops as soon as the drone begins to fall.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, various targets within the Russian Federation, as well as in the occupied regions of Ukraine, have been subjected to air strikes. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has confirmed most of these attacks, stating that the Ukrainian Defence Forces are “systematically implementing measures aimed at reducing the combat potential of the Russian occupation forces, as well as at compelling the Russian Federation to cease its armed aggression against Ukraine”.