Russia launched a series of drone strikes on the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa in the early hours of Friday, leaving 13 people injured, including three emergency workers, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service.
The midnight assault struck ten separate locations, several of them residential buildings, prompting urgent evacuations and firefighting operations in the Black Sea coastal city, which holds strategic importance for both Russia and Ukraine.
One of the hardest-hit sites was a 23-storey residential tower, which caught fire between the 18th and 20th floors. The resulting blaze led to the evacuation of over 600 people. “The building has been destroyed in the overnight blaze,” Ukraine’s emergency services said.
In a separate incident, three firefighters were injured when a structural element collapsed on them as they attempted to douse the flames.
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“The attacks on the city injured at least 13 people, including three firefighters,” Odesa Oblast Governor Oleh Kiper stated in a post on social media.
Odesa, a city of over one million, has endured multiple Russian drone incursions in recent weeks. Its seaport access to the Black Sea makes it a critical target in Russia’s ongoing campaign to pressure Ukraine’s southern supply routes.
On 10 June, a combined missile and drone strike on the city had killed two and injured eight. Russian forces have since intensified ground and aerial operations, notably in the northeastern Sumy region and southern combat zones, in a bid to dislodge Ukrainian defences and establish buffer zones.
Overnight on 17 June, Russia carried out what Kyiv officials described as one of the largest retaliatory drone attacks since the war began in 2022, killing 30 people and wounding 172 in the capital.
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