Beach access in the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk will be restricted early on Wednesday, the mayor of the city said, after reporting earlier that defence forces were engaged in repelling a sea drone attack.

"Until 09:00 (0600 GMT) on July 3, the bay's water will be surveyed," Mayor Andrei Kravchenko said on the Telegram messaging app. "We kindly request you to refrain from visiting beach areas, embankments and recreational areas along the water's edge during operational activities."

Earlier, Kravchenko said, without providing detail, the port was under a sea drone attack.

Russia has often accused Ukraine of attacking its port cities on the Black Sea coast and on the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula, but Russian officials often do not disclose the full extent of damage inflicted by Ukrainian attacks.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.

Kyiv has said attacks on Russia's military, transport and energy infrastructure are in response to Moscow's continuous attacks on Ukraine's territory since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

  - Reuters