A Russian overnight drone and missile attack on Odesa killed two people and injured at least 15, Ukrainian authorities said Friday, as emergency crews continued clearing rubble from destroyed residential buildings and assessing widespread damage.
Ukraine’s State Emergency Service (SES) said multiple strikes hit civilian areas, igniting fires, collapsing apartments, and forcing mass evacuations across the city.
One of the strikes hit a three-storey residential building, destroying apartments and sparking a fire that left six people injured.
Two separate two-storey buildings were also destroyed, where rescuers pulled one person from the rubble and evacuated 20 residents, including two children. Seven people were injured in those locations, according to the SES.
A separate drone strike hit another residential building, killing two civilians and injuring one more. Sixteen residents were evacuated from the damaged structure.
SES psychologists worked through the night at impact sites, providing assistance to more than 50 residents – including three children – who were suffering from acute stress following the attacks.
Odesa Military Administration head Serhii Lysak said the two fatalities were a married couple, both aged 75. Eight of the 15 injured remain in hospital receiving treatment.
More than 140 rescuers were deployed across the city as emergency operations continued on Friday morning.
The strike is part of a wider Russian drone assault on southern Ukraine’s Odesa region, which also damaged port infrastructure and other civilian sites overnight.