Ukrainian Drone Strikes Kill 4, Injure 29 in Russian Port City

Officials reported on Wednesday that a Ukrainian drone assault on the southern Russian port city of Novorossiysk left at least four people dead and 29 others injured.

Krasnodar Regional Governor Veniamin Kondratiev said three of the injured were in serious condition, adding that eight residential buildings and a kindergarten sustained damage in the attacks.

Novorossiysk Mayor Andrei Kravchenko said authorities had declared a state of emergency in the city, noting that 17 people were currently receiving hospital treatment. According to Kravchenko, three businesses and a church were also damaged, while two kindergartens, a school and a polyclinic sustained additional damage from the strikes.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the strikes, describing them as a response to what he called Russia's daily "terror attacks."

Novorossiysk is home to a base belonging to Russia's Black Sea Fleet. Russian authorities also reported drone activity near the resort towns of Gelendzhik and Anapa, though these additional reports could not be independently verified.

Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, Ukraine has increasingly carried out drone strikes against targets deep inside Russian territory, with reports of rising civilian casualties from such attacks.