Experts have confirmed the risks to vacationers in Kuban from drone attacks.

Civilians in the coastal areas of Kuban resorts risk becoming accidental victims of drone and unmanned boat attacks, so the evacuation of beachgoers was a justified precaution.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," on September 24, people in Sochi, Gelendzhik, and the Tuapse district were ordered to leave beaches and embankments due to the threat of drone attacks from the sea and air. In Sochi, some vacationers returned to the sea, despite the drone threat not being lifted. Social media users called this behavior of the vacationers careless.

Active serviceman Yevgeny Radchenko, former Navy sailor Oleg Zavyalikov, retired military man with 31 years of service and former missile unit commander Igor Vasilyev, and lawyer Elena Lukina shared their assessment of the risks of people being on beaches during drone attacks with the "Caucasian Knot."

Civilians become random victims

The threat to vacationers is real, believes Yevgeny Radchenko. "Small drones cannot fly far, unlike large UAVs. They more often target military targets – residences, oil depots, airports. But civilians become accidental victims. In such a situation, the city must be closed to recreation: swimming and recreation are incompatible with the threats and operation of air defense systems," he said.

Oleg Zavyalikov expressed a similar opinion. "UAVs and unmanned aerial vehicles are difficult to detect by radar. Rest and military operations cannot be combined. There is a military commandant of the region, appointed by the president, but without an order, he only supervises the security forces. Intercepting all threats is currently extremely difficult due to new technologies from Ukraine," he said.

Air defense systems are not always able to detect targets, especially when it comes to small drones.

In Sochi, there is no structure that unites all law enforcement agencies under a single command, noted Igor Vasiliev. "The military has its own chain of command, the police have theirs, and the administration has its own—like in Ivan Krylov's fable ["The Swan, the Pike, and the Crayfish"]. That's why there's complete chaos on the beaches. The air defense system operates partially automatically: a computer detects a target and tracks it under the supervision of a specially trained operator. Sirens are supposed to alert you to danger. But air defense isn't always able to detect a target, especially when it comes to small drones. Sochi and the surrounding region had never encountered such attacks before [before the Russian military operation in Ukraine], so there are challenges both with security and with coordinating the actions of different agencies," explained the former missile unit commander.

Laws do not regulate tourists' stay at resorts during military operations, noted lawyer Elena Lukina. "Tourists can only be protected with warnings, fencing, and restricting access to dangerous areas. But this is clearly insufficient, as Sochi has no shelters where people could hide in the event of an attack. Previously, basements of apartment buildings served as such shelters, but now they have been sold to private owners, which violates the law. The authorities are unable to offer people real security," she said.

Authorities are obligated to inform citizens of the risks and, if necessary, restrict access to beaches.

Being in the water near beaches during attacks is also dangerous, she believes. "Air defense systems target specific facilities, while drones and unmanned aerial vehicles can strike random targets. Authorities are obligated to inform citizens of the risks and, if necessary, restrict access to beaches and close resort areas. Tourists staying on the beach during an alert is not only a sign of personal carelessness but also a consequence of the public's lack of awareness of the severity of the threat. […] Restricting access to resorts, evacuations, and alerts is the only way to reduce risks in the current situation," said Elena Lukina.

In Sochi, a test of the warning systems will also be conducted on the morning of October 1, a employee of the city administration's press service told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"In all inner-city districts of Sochi, a test of the public warning systems will be conducted, with the activation of technical equipment and the transmission of test signals. Starting at 10:40 [Moscow time], a special announcement will be broadcast on radio and television. The siren sound is the civil defense warning signal "Attention everyone!" During the test, it is necessary to remain calm and listen to the announcement," he said.