Russian drone strike hits Ukraine’s Odesa: Three injured, homes destroyed
Shafaq News/ A Russian drone attack on the Black Sea port city of Odesa overnight injured several people, officials of the southern Ukrainian region reported on Wednesday.
"The enemy has again attacked Odesa with a massive drone attack," Odesa region governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram, although the full scale of the assault was unclear.
Ukraine's emergency service later affirmed that three people were wounded, and several fires broke out, destroying houses and civilian infrastructure.
Photographs shared by Odesa's mayor, Hennadiy Trukhanov, depicted near-total destruction of a residential building and other structures, while emergency workers sifted through rubble.
Shafaq News could not independently confirm the reports, and Moscow has yet to respond. Both sides deny intentionally targeting civilians in the ongoing conflict that began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago.
Shortly before the strike, NATO’s Mark Rutte held a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Odesa, vowing continued financial and military backing for Ukraine.
Zelensky said negotiations for a limited pause in hostilities were underway, with representatives from Ukraine, the UK, France, and Turkiye set to meet in Ankara on Wednesday to discuss Black Sea security.
In March, the United States mediated separate agreements with Ukraine and Russia to halt strikes over the Black Sea and on energy infrastructure, but both parties have since traded accusations of violating the truce.
