KYIV, Feb 23 - A Russian strike on the southern Odesa region overnight resulted in two deaths and three injuries, Ukrainian emergency services and a government official reported on Monday. The fatalities occurred when a Russian drone fell on a truck stop and caused a fire, according to the emergency service's account on the Telegram messenger platform.
Infrastructure Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said on Telegram that the attack struck port infrastructure in the Odesa region. Kuleba characterized the incident as "yet another blow to civilian logistics and port infrastructure," adding that "Russia is systematically attacking facilities that have no military purpose, trying to undermine the economy of the region and the country as a whole."
Kuleba also said the freight transport storage area was damaged in the strike. Authorities reported three people were injured in the incident.
The Odesa region hosts a major shipping hub, including terminals at the Black Sea ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Pivdennyi. These facilities have been targets since the early days of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.
Officials noted a marked escalation in attacks on Black Sea ports in late 2025, following a threat by President Vladimir Putin to "cut Ukraine off from the sea." A source in the transport industry, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, told reporters last week that strikes on the Odesa ports in recent months had decreased their export capacity by as much as 30% compared with pre-war levels.
Context and local impact:
The immediate human toll of the overnight attack was two people killed and three wounded, with physical damage reported to a truck stop and a freight transport storage area. Statements from the infrastructure minister emphasized the civilian and economic dimensions of the strikes, describing them as deliberate actions against logistics and port facilities that do not serve military purposes.
Operationally, the Odesa port cluster - comprising Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Pivdennyi - continues to face pressure from repeated strikes, which authorities and an industry source say have materially reduced export throughput versus pre-war capacity.
No further details were provided about any military targets or defensive measures taken in response to the incident.