Krasnodar Region Governor Veniamin Kondratyev reported four fatalities, including a child, in Ukrainian drone strikes on Novorossiysk. A total of 29 people were injured across the city, with three individuals in critical condition.
The attacks damaged civilian infrastructure, specifically a church, a kindergarten, three private homes, and five apartment blocks in Novorossiysk. Ukrainian strikes also caused damage to residential areas in Anapa, a resort town located approximately 40 kilometers northwest of Novorossiysk.
Gelendzhik, another resort town in Krasnodar Region situated southeast of Novorossiysk, came under what Mayor Aleksey Bogodistov described as a “most massive and lengthy” drone raid with no reported casualties. Russian air defenses intercepted 596 Ukrainian drones during the overnight period into Wednesday.
The strikes follow Ukraine’s ongoing efforts to disrupt Russian maritime trade. In June, President Vladimir Zelenskiy authorized mass attacks on Russian ships as part of a strategy to inflict economic damage on Moscow. This initiative, which Zelenskiy referred to as a “40-day pressure campaign,” prompted Moscow to escalate its own long-range strikes and effectively isolate Ukraine from maritime commerce.
Zelenskiy has recently called for a pause in hostilities in the Black Sea region, claiming it would provide relief for global food security. However, the continued drone warfare poses significant risks to civilian populations and critical infrastructure in both nations. The conflict’s impact is particularly severe given Russia and Ukraine are major exporters of wheat, a key food commodity. A prior agreement mediated by Türkiye to ensure free shipping and cargo inspections was abandoned after Moscow accused Kyiv of using designated safe routes for launching naval attacks on Russian ports.
