Get you up to speed: Russian sunbathers killed after Ukrainian drone crashes into beach near Putin’s palace | News World
A drone crashed on a beach in Arkhipo-Osipovka, resulting in the deaths of four people, including a young child. Thirteen others were confirmed injured following the explosion near Putin’s palace, with local authorities confirming the incident shortly after it occurred.
The local mayor, Alexey Bogodistov, issued a drone threat warning at 8.34am prior to its cancellation within ten minutes. Krasnodar’s regional governor, Veniamin Kondratyev, indicated the crash may have involved debris from the drone, which has been a frequent target in the area.
Krasnodar regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev extended his condolences to the families of the deceased and reported that 13 others were injured, suggesting that the crash may have involved debris from the drone being downed. Following the incident, local authorities issued a warning regarding drone threats but later rescinded it within ten minutes of the initial alert, indicating a potentially heightened state of caution in the area.
What remains unclear — The intended target of the crashed drone has not been confirmed.
Four killed as Ukrainian drone crashes on beach near Putin’s palace
Four people have died after a drone smashed into a Russian beach, just miles from Putin’s secretive palace.
Beachgoers hid under sun loungers as they saw the Ukrainian unmanned aircraft crash into the ground in Arkhipo-Osipovka, a resort on the Black Sea.
A young child was reportedly among those killed in the huge explosion.
Footage captured by a sunbather shows the drone careering into a cliff as swimmers watch on in the 29C heat.
A large ball of flames erupted from the crashed drone, followed seconds later by a loud bang.
No warning sirens appeared to alert the public to the impending blast, but the local mayor Alexey Bogodistov had issued a drone threat at 8.34am before cancelling it within ten minutes.
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Air defence machine gunners were heard firing to try and to bring down the UAV as beachgoers fled.
One said: ‘We were on the beach, didn’t have time to leave, hid behind a ledge, covered ourselves with sun loungers, and didn’t see where it exploded.’
Beachgoers in Arkhipo-Osipovka were given no warning before the unmanned drone crashed into the cliff and erupted into flames (Pictures: east2west news)
Another witness to the crash said: ‘While we were parking, we saw crowds of people leaving the beach, cars driving away.
‘A friend called me and said we had to turn around and leave because a drone had crashed.
‘We saw a man with a bloody shoulder.’
Krasnodar’s regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev suggested that it was debris that crashed after the drone was downed by air defence systems.
‘I extend my sincere condolences to their families and loved ones. Thirteen others were injured’, he said.
The drone’s target remains unclear, however the crash site was just 17 miles from ‘Putin’s Palace’ in Gelendzhi.
The area has been repeatedly targeted by Ukrainian drones.
The palace’s existence first became known following an open letter from whistleblower Sergei Kolesnikov in 2010 to then Russian president Dimitry Medvedev.
The drone hit within 17 miles of Putin’s £1billion palatial complex in Gelendzhi (Picture: Alexei Navalny/e2w)
It boasts a wooden throne, striptease stage, pole-dancing boudoir, a church, amphitheatre and even an ice palace.
Its main building, designed by Italian architect Lanfranco Cirillo, is kitted out with Turkish baths, spas, a hookah bar, wine cellar, casino and large indoor swimming pool.
The facility is also served by a 16-storey underground bunker built into the cliff and designed to withstand a nuclear strike.
In 2021 Arkady Rotenberg, a Russian entrepreneur and close friend of Putin claimed to have taken over the property for an aparthotel concept, however this was denied by workers at the palace.
A Ukrainian source suggested the UAV was aimed at a private resort for engineers for the Russian aerospace bureau Mashinostroyeniya Research and Production Association.
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