April 30 - Russian drone strikes hit the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa overnight for the second time this week, wounding at least 18 people and damaging multiple residential and commercial properties, officials said on Thursday.
Local authorities identified the central Prymorskyi district as bearing the brunt of the damage. Serhiy Lysak, head of the local military administration, said both high-rise and five-storey residential buildings were struck, with fires breaking out on upper floors and a roof. Emergency crews later contained those fires, Lysak wrote on Telegram.
Officials cautioned that the number of injured could change as rescue teams continue their work. Lysak specified that among the wounded was a 17-year-old boy, and that two of the injured were in intensive care in serious condition. The recent overnight strikes followed an attack on Monday that wounded 14 people.
The air force reported a large-scale barrage, saying that since 6 p.m. on Wednesday (1500 GMT) Russia had launched one ballistic missile and 206 drones against targets in Ukraine. Of those drones, 172 were reported as downed or neutralised. The air force added that one missile and 32 drones struck 22 locations.
Lysak described damage beyond residential blocks. A kindergarten building was substantially damaged, and there was reported harm to a shopping centre, a hotel and administrative premises. Photographs posted by the official showed an upper floor on fire and heavy smoke pouring from a high-rise structure.
Transportation assets were affected as well, with dozens of buses and cars destroyed or damaged across several parking areas, Lysak said. In another district of the city, strikes were recorded at infrastructure facilities, warehouse buildings and within a garage cooperative.
Odesa, a major Black Sea port and a focal point for Ukrainian exports, has been a repeated target during more than four years of Russia’s war, officials noted. The pattern of strikes and the reported scale of the latest barrage underline the ongoing pressure on the city’s residential, commercial and logistics infrastructure, even as emergency services work to secure affected sites.