Russian forces struck Odesa with drones early Thursday, Dec. 4, damaging an administrative building and several high-rise apartment blocks and injuring multiple people.
“A fire broke out at an energy infrastructure facility, damaging an administrative building and nearby high-rise buildings and cars,” the State Emergency Service (DSNS) reported.
Two people were trapped in separate apartments due to the blast wave; rescuers and police unblocked them and handed them over to medics. DSNS noted that despite repeated air alerts, the fire was quickly contained.
Odesa regional governor Oleh Kiper said doors and windows in seven apartment buildings and one administrative building were damaged by falling debris and the shock wave.
“Preliminarily, six people were injured, two of whom were rescued from blocked apartments. Another 33 people, including six children, received psychological assistance,” he said.
The attack followed earlier strikes on Dec. 3, when Russian drones hit regional energy infrastructure, sparking a fire and injuring a facility employee.
Also, on the evening of Dec. 3, Russia launched ballistic missiles at Ukraine. At 5:46 p.m., an explosion rocked Kryvyi Rih, where officials said an Iskander-M missile struck an administrative building and caused a fire.
According to the city mayor Oleksandr Vilkul, the attack damaged 15 high-rise buildings – two of them severely – about 20 private houses, a school, shops, garages, and cars.
A gas pipeline was also hit, cutting supply to 29 homes. Repairs are underway, and service is expected to be restored by the end of Thursday.
Six people were injured, including a three-year-old girl.
“Doctors are providing all necessary assistance. The girl and the young woman will be treated as outpatients. The important thing is that there were no fatalities,” Vilkul said.
Explosions were also reported in the Mykolaiv region around 7 p.m., where a missile struck the city of Bashtanka. “As of now, no casualties,” regional governor Vitaliy Kim said.
At about 8:15 p.m., another high-speed target was recorded heading toward the Kharkiv region, and an explosion was heard in Kharkiv. Regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said a missile struck the Slobidskyi district. The mayor Ihor Terkhov later clarified the blast occurred outside the city limits.
Overnight, Russia continued drone strikes on the Kharkiv region. In the village of Siryi Yar, a fire engulfed two residential buildings, injuring a 62-year-old woman who was hospitalized with head and body injuries.
In the Pechenihy community, fires broke out at two recreation centers, burning a warehouse and an administrative building. No injuries were reported.
Later, the Ministry of Energy said Russian forces struck an energy facility in the Odesa region overnight, causing major damage and leaving 51,800 consumers without electricity.
DTEK said one of its facilities was hit, adding that 9,500 families had been reconnected via backup schemes, while the remaining 51,800 customers were still without power. The company warned that repairs will take time, and crews are working in an intensified mode to restore supply.
According to the Ministry of Energy, more than 60,000 consumers in the Donetsk region, over 51,000 in the Odesa region, and 1,600 in the Dnipropetrovsk region were without power this morning due to Russian attacks. Emergency restoration work is underway.
Ukraine’s Air Force reported that Russia launched another large-scale strike overnight, using two Iskander-M ballistic missiles and 138 drones.
Between 6 p.m. on Dec. 3 and the morning of Dec. 4, Russia fired two Iskander-M missiles and a mix of 138 Shahed, Geran, and other drones – around 85 of them Shaheds.
By 9 a.m., air defenses had shot down or suppressed 114 drones across the north, south, and east of Ukraine, according to preliminary information. Ballistic missile impacts and 24 strike drones were recorded at 14 locations.