On the night of 24 July, Russian forces launched a large-scale drone attack on Odesa using Shaheds and other UAVs. Explosions were heard in the very centre of the city.
According to Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov, the threat was particularly acute in the Primorskyy and Peresypskyy districts.
The head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, Oleh Kiper, later stated that despite the active work of air defence, damage to civilian infrastructure had been recorded. A fire broke out on two floors of a residential high-rise building, and the roof, shopping pavilions and a petrol station also caught fire.
Historical monuments in the city centre, which are protected by UNESCO, have been damaged. Information regarding casualties is being clarified.
The State Emergency Service later reported that a 9-storey residential building in Odesa had been destroyed as a result of the Russian attack, leaving residents of the 5th to 8th floors homeless. Homes on the 5th and 6th floors of one of the entrances were ablaze.
Rescuers evacuated 33 residents and rescued 5 people who were trapped in their apartments. Preliminary reports indicate that 3 people were injured.
The Privoz market was also engulfed in flames. There, rescuers extinguished a fire in a two-storey building and shopping pavilions caused by the Russian strikes.
