Up to 20 people have been injured in Odesa following a large-scale overnight Russian attack targeting residential areas and civilian infrastructure, Ukrainian emergency officials said. Nine of the wounded remain hospitalized.
According to Maryna Averina, spokesperson for Ukraine’s State Emergency Service (SES) in the Odesa region, the strike caused multiple fires across the city’s residential districts.
Apartments caught fire on the fourth and fifth floors of a five-story building, as well as on the sixth and seventh floors of a 17-story residential block. A private home and a nearby hotel were also set ablaze.
Beyond housing, the attack caused significant damage to civilian infrastructure. A kindergarten caught fire, along with warehouse facilities located at vehicle lots and open storage areas. More than a dozen buses and passenger cars were destroyed or damaged.
Over 30 people sought psychological assistance in the aftermath of the attack.
Emergency crews faced severe challenges while responding. Averina said the risk of repeated strikes complicated rescue operations.
“Drones were flying almost directly overhead. We also had to take shelter,” she said. “However, even during air raid alerts, work continued at several locations—especially in residential buildings that were on fire. We did not know whether people were inside. For some, every second could have been critical.”
Another major obstacle was the lack of water in fire hydrants due to scheduled water supply shutdowns overnight. Firefighters were forced to transport water to more than ten active response sites.
Despite these conditions, all major fires have now been extinguished. Rescue teams continue to clear debris and cool damaged structures to prevent reignition.
The attack is the latest in a series of strikes on Ukrainian cities targeting civilian infrastructure, as frontline and rear-area pressure continues amid the ongoing war.
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