Ukrainian drones and uncrewed surface vessels attacked Sochi and other southern Russian cities, triggering a waterfront fire and a beach explosion.
One person was injured in the attack on Sochi, according to preliminary information released by the operational headquarters of Krasnodar Krai. Emergency services responded immediately to the scene of the waterfront fire.
The port area of Sochi was subjected to a massive raid by Ukrainian aerial drones, according to reports published by the Telegram channels Voennyy Osvedomitel and Voenkory Russkoy Vesny. Eyewitnesses reported that visitors attending a concert by Russian pop singer Tatyana Bulanova were evacuated from the venue as the air raid began.
Sochi is a major resort city in Krasnodar Krai located along the Black Sea coast in southern Russia, widely known for hosting the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. Uncrewed surface vessels, also known as sea drones, are remotely piloted explosive boats deployed in maritime warfare to strike coastal infrastructure and naval targets.
One of the uncrewed surface vessels exploded directly on a beach in Sochi. Officials noted that the sea drone may have been struck by defense fire at sea before ocean currents drifted the vessel to the coastline. The detonation was likely triggered by an automatic self-destruct system built into the boat or by a remote destruction command sent by the vessel's operator.
Night attack on Novorossiysk and Gelendzhik
Ukraine launched a separate massive attack against the port city of Novorossiysk on the night of September 9, 2026. Andrey Kravchenko, the head of Novorossiysk, declared official municipal mourning for the victims of the strike.
Local authorities in Novorossiysk cancelled all public entertainment events and lowered state and municipal flags to half-mast across the city. Novorossiysk is Russia's largest commercial port city on the Black Sea, serving as a primary naval base and critical maritime shipping hub in southern Russia.
An eyewitness described the strike on Novorossiysk as resembling a scene from a horror film, reporting tracer fire filling the sky alongside explosions and burning sites. The witness stated that a local church was hit during the bombardment, adding that 14 windows in his house had been shattered in a previous attack and the remaining glass units blew out during the new raid.
Kravchenko emphasized that the strike damaged 472 residential apartments and 69 private houses across Novorossiysk. The mayor stated that window glass and shared communal property were damaged in the majority of affected apartment buildings.
The neighboring resort city of Gelendzhik was also hit during the wave of attacks. An electrical substation in Gelendzhik sustained damage, leaving part of the city without electricity. Gelendzhik is a coastal resort town located along Gelendzhik Bay on the Black Sea, situated southeast of Novorossiysk.
Drone types and flight routes
Military expert Vasily Dandykin said the drones targeting Novorossiysk and other cities in Krasnodar Krai were likely launched from the Mykolaiv region or Ukrainian-controlled areas of the Kherson region. He explained that the drones travel over the Black Sea, where Russian forces shoot down a portion of them before the surviving aircraft turn inland toward their targets.
Ukrainian forces used Lyutyi long-range strike drones during the attack, according to Dandykin. The Lyutyi is a Ukrainian-designed uncrewed aerial vehicle built for long-distance strike operations across hundreds of kilometers. Krasnodar Krai, a region in southern Russia bordering the Black Sea and Sea of Azov, has experienced recurring drone and maritime attacks during the conflict.
