Russian Attack on Ukrainian Port of Odessa Ignites Fire

SadaNews - In a new escalation within the ongoing war that has lasted for more than three years, Gennady Trukhanov, the mayor of Odessa, stated that Russian forces launched a drone attack on the Ukrainian port of Odessa on the Black Sea early this Saturday, resulting in a fire in a multi-story residential building and the death of one resident.

The number of injured is still being assessed, according to Trukhanov, who wrote on the Telegram app, "All emergency teams are on high alert."

Earlier, Trukhanov mentioned that at least 20 drones were focused on the city, which is a repeated target of Russian attacks, noting that a fire broke out in at least one multi-story residential building.

Published images online showed flames engulfing the upper floors of one building as emergency teams were moving in ladder trucks on site, with smoke billowing from the windows.

Prior to this, Russian forces launched a large-scale aerial attack on Ukraine on Friday, using a mix of combat drones and ballistic missiles.

Ukrainian authorities confirmed that their air defenses successfully intercepted several Russian drones targeting the capital, Kyiv, on Friday evening, while dozens of other drones continued to fly over the country, threatening further strikes.

Earlier that same day, Russia launched ballistic missiles at targets near the city of Dnipro in southeastern Ukraine.

Previously, Kyiv announced that Russian forces launched several ballistic missiles targeting facilities near the city of Dnipro in southeastern Ukraine, in a move seen as a continuation of the systematic attacks on critical infrastructure, particularly in the energy and telecommunications sectors.

Unconfirmed reports also indicated that Moscow had deployed strategic bombers capable of launching long-range cruise missiles, increasing the likelihood of new waves of attacks in the coming days, according to military analysts.

These attacks are part of a long series of air strikes carried out by Russia since the war erupted in February 2022, targeting major Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure, including power stations, rail lines, and supply depots.