Russian drones struck the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa overnight, wounding at least 18 people and setting residential buildings ablaze in the second such attack on the city in less than a week, Ukrainian officials said on Thursday. The worst damage was concentrated in the central Prymorskyi district, where high-rise and five-storey residential buildings were hit, triggering fires on upper floors and rooftops that emergency services have since brought under control, Serhiy Lysak, head of the local military administration, said on Telegram. A 17-year-old boy was among the injured, and two of the wounded were in intensive care in a serious condition. Emergency services cautioned that the number of casualties could still rise.
Beyond the residential damage, Lysak reported that a kindergarten building was substantially damaged, alongside a shopping centre, a hotel and administrative premises. Dozens of buses and cars were destroyed or damaged across several parking areas. In a separate district, strikes hit infrastructure facilities, warehouse buildings and a garage cooperative.
Ukraine's air force said Russia had launched one ballistic missile and 206 drones at the country from 6pm on Wednesday, of which 172 drones were downed or neutralised. One missile and 32 drones struck at 22 locations across the country. Odesa, Ukraine's main Black Sea port and a critical hub for the country's grain and commodity exports, has been a persistent target throughout more than four years of war. Fourteen people were wounded in a separate drone attack on the city on Monday.
Source: Reuters