Additional Coverage:
Odessa Endures Russian Drone Barrage, Leaving Six Injured and City in Darkness
ODESSA, UKRAINE – A relentless Russian drone strike descended upon the southern Ukrainian port city of Odessa overnight, leaving at least six people injured, including three children, and plunging parts of the city into darkness as electricity, water, and heat services were disrupted. Local officials confirmed the attacks, which mark a significant escalation in Russia’s sustained campaign targeting the strategically vital Black Sea region.
Among the injured were a 7-month-old infant, an 8-year-old girl, and a 14-year-old boy, all members of two families residing in the same apartment building. The Shahed-type drones specifically targeted residential areas, causing extensive structural damage and igniting apartment fires.
Four buildings bore the brunt of the assault, with firefighters bravely rescuing at least eight individuals from one burning high-rise. Private energy provider DTEK reported severe damage to two of its regional facilities, bringing the total number of its plants attacked since early December to ten. Across the province, over 170,000 residents were left without power, according to Deputy Energy Minister Oleksandr Vyazovchenko.
In a separate incident within the Odessa Oblast, logistics warehouses were engulfed in flames following another strike, further underscoring the widespread nature of the assaults. These attacks are part of an ongoing aerial campaign by Russian forces, which has consistently targeted port, energy, and civilian infrastructure in the crucial coastal province.
The drones menacing Odessa were among 127 launched across various Ukrainian provinces, including Kyiv, Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kherson, where at least five other people sustained injuries. The Ukrainian Air Force reported successfully downing or disabling all but 26 of the unmanned aerial vehicles.
Beyond the drone attacks, Russian artillery fire claimed the lives of at least three individuals in the frontline regions of Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv over the past day. In eastern Donetsk province, where Ukrainian forces are locked in intense battles with Russian troops, three more civilians were killed and four injured.
These recent strikes come on the heels of claims by the Kremlin regarding an alleged Ukrainian drone attack on President Vladimir Putin’s state residence northwest of Moscow on Monday. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov condemned the incident as terrorism, vowing a response and warning of its potential impact on ongoing peace talks. Kyiv, however, categorically rejected the claim, with President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissing it as a “complete fabrication intended to justify additional attacks against Ukraine” and to deflect from Moscow’s refusal to pursue steps toward ending the war.