Drone attack targets Russia's Krasnodar Krai, Russian officials claim

Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated

Four were injured, local officials claimed, as Russia's Krasnodar Krai was allegedly targeted in a Ukrainian drone attack overnight on May 3.

Ukraine regularly strikes military targets within Russia as Moscow continues to wage its war against Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry on May 2 claimed 89 Ukrainian drones were intercepted over occupied Crimea and another 23 over the waters of the Black Sea.

Four were injured in Novorossiysk, among them two children, local officials claimed, adding that three residential buildings and a grain terminal were damaged in the Russian port city. A state of emergency was declared in Novorossiysk due to the attack, local authorities said.

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed its air defenses downed 170 Ukrainian drones overnight on May 3, mainly over Crimea and Krasnodar Krai, along with several missiles and 14 naval drones in the Black Sea.

On April 25,  the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said a foreign vessel was seized for allegedly being involved in transporting stolen Ukrainian grain from Russian-occupied territories.

Debris from downed drones was found in the villages of Taman, Yurovka, Tsibanobalka, and in the town of Anapa, Russian officials claimed.

A fire was reported in Taman, and windows were reportedly shattered in three houses.

Naval drones were spotted off the coast of Novorossiysk, Mayor Andrey Kravchenko claimed.

"In the waters near Novorossiysk, an attack by drones and unmanned boats of the Ukrainian regime is being repelled," he said at 3:31 a.m., local time.

Krasnodar Krai is located east of Crimea, separated by the Kerch Strait at the closest point between the two territories.

Ukraine has not officially commented on the reported strikes, and the Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the claims.

Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi reported on May 1 that Ukrainian drones struck and destroyed more than 83,000 Russian targets in April, resulting in an 8% increase from March.

"In April, units of unmanned systems of the Ukrainian Defense Forces achieved decent results in destroying the enemy," Syrskyi said.

Russian attacks on Ukraine regularly target civilian infrastructure, including residential buildings.

At least two people were killed and 33 injured in Russian attacks across Ukraine on May 1, regional authorities reported.

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The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Hodunova