A large-scale drone strike by Russian forces on the night of June 20 struck Odesa, Ukraine’s major Black Sea port, triggering at least 10 hits, igniting widespread fires, and causing extensive damage to residential buildings and civic infrastructure, the State Emergency Service (SES) of Ukraine reported.
According to SES data, 13 people were injured, including 3 emergency responders who were hurt by falling debris during rescue operations and transported to hospital in stable condition. Firefighters rescued 3 individuals, evacuated 6 others, and extinguished flames that engulfed a four-story residential building. A 23-story high-rise was also partially consumed by fire on floors 18–20, with 600 residents evacuated, including 2 children rescued from a blocked apartment.
Civil infrastructure damage extended to 5 additional apartment buildings, 3 vehicles, and Odesa’s railway station, where overhead lines and track ballast were hit—fortunately without casualties, and train services continued on schedule.
Odesa Governor Hennadii Trukhanov, via Telegram, confirmed the SES findings and noted that rescue teams established an ‘unbreakable point’ at a partially destroyed building, and search operations continue, as individuals may still be trapped under rubble.
This strike comes amid a renewed pattern of intense Russian drone assaults targeting Ukrainian cities. Odesa previously suffered similar drone and missile attacks, resulting in civilian injuries and fires, including damage to a maternity hospital during a prior major assault.
photo:Ukrainian authorities
