Twelve dead in attack on holiday camp in Russian-held part of Ukraine, officials say


Rescuers work at a site of the drinking water delivery company hit by a Russian air strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine July 25, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer

July 25 (Reuters) - Twelve people ⁠were killed, including five children, in an overnight drone ⁠attack on a holiday camp in a Russian-held part of ‌Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, Russian-installed local authorities said on Saturday, accusing Ukraine of deliberately attacking civilians.

Kyiv did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Both Russia and ​Ukraine deny targeting civilians in the war ⁠launched by Russia's full-scale ⁠invasion in February 2022.

Nineteen people were wounded in the attack on the ⁠resort ‌area of Kyrylivka, located on the coast of the Sea of Azov near the town of Melitopol, said ⁠Russian-appointed governor Yevgeny Balitsky.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria ​Zakharova said Ukrainian ‌drones carried out the attack on "sleeping people" at the camp. ⁠She denounced "inhuman ​crimes", also referring to an attack on a factory in Russia's Kirov region on Thursday which killed six people.

A video posted online of ⁠the holiday camp showed shattered buildings, burned-out ​cars and a pile of rubble next to a swimming pool.

Balitsky said crews from Russia's Emergencies Ministry had extracted two survivors, including a ⁠child, and recovered another body from the rubble. He added that rescue operations had been completed.

"The enemy saw and understood who it was targeting," he said on the Telegram messaging app.

Balitsky said ​authorities in Kyiv were "ignoring any norms of ⁠morality and deliberately destroying the civilian population — adults and children".

Russia's Investigative Committee ​opened a terrorism case in response ‌to the attack, the Russian state ​news agency RIA said.

(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Kevin Liffey, Ron Popeski and Paul Simao)

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

Next In World

Vehicle mows down crowd at Berlin Pride festival, injuring many, police say
Urgent: 1 killed, 14 injured after car crashes into crowd in Berlin: police
Prolonged power outages spark protests in Libya
Ukraine's Zelenskiy: Russia wants to bring in 30,000 North Korean troops to conflict
Iran says Ukrainian attack on vessel in Caspian Sea killed sailor
Berlin Pride parade called off after car hits crowds, police say
1st LD Writethru: Several injured after vehicle drives into crowd in Berlin: police
Urgent: Several injured after vehicle drives into crowd in Berlin
Flash: Several injured after vehicle drives into crowd in Berlin: media
Ethiopia's annual horticultural export tops 490 mln USD

Others Also Read