Breaking: Ukraine launches deadly strike on southern Russia city – officials

At least two people were killed and three injured in a drone attack on Novorossiysk, the local governor has said

At least two people have been killed and three injured when Ukrainian drones struck the downtown of Novorossiysk, a Black Sea port city in southern Russia, the regional governor has said.

Krasnodar Region Governor Veniamin Kondratyev called the midday strike on Wednesday “horrific,” saying it hit near a hotel in central Novorossiysk. “Unfortunately, there are fatalities,” he wrote on Telegram. He said five residential buildings, including apartment blocks, were damaged along with the hotel.

“All services have been placed on high alert, and the attack is still being repelled,” Kondratyev added.

Ukraine has just attacked Civillian buildings and a hotel in Novorossiysk.

Drones struck the city centre in the middle of the day. Unfortunately, there are casualties. Preliminary information reports two dead and many injured pic.twitter.com/Djxg2dwOf4

— Chay Bowes (@BowesChay) September 24, 2025

Video published in the Russian media showed students sheltering in school corridors, while eyewitness footage appeared to capture maritime drones approaching the city. Another clip showed at least four cars burning in a parking lot.

According to the SHOT Telegram channel, Russian defenses had destroyed at least five Ukrainian maritime drones near the coastline. The drone strike also damaged the office of Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which is jointly owned by several stakeholders from Russia, Kazakhstan, and overseas energy companies, such as US oil giants Chevron and ExxonMobil, the company’s representatives said, adding that two people have been injured. 

 Local media reported that at least three people were trapped in the basement of a building housing an electric scooter rental, and said emergency services were on their way to rescue them. Novorossiysk is a major hub for the Russian Black Sea Fleet, with media reports suggesting the importance of its facilities has only grown as Ukrainian drones have been increasingly targeting Sevastopol, another key navy base closer to Kiev’s UAV launch sites. Kiev has also been routinely launching drone raids deep into Russia, often targeting residential buildings and critical infrastructure. Moscow has denounced the attacks as “terrorism.”