Russian forces struck Odesa with drones overnight, damaging residential buildings, and wounding nine people, including four children, Odesa Oblast Governor Oleh Kiper reported on April 23.
Ukrainian air defense units destroyed 15 of the 16 Shahed-type drones that Russia launched overnight, the Air Force reported in the morning.
One of the downed drones fell on Odesa's residential area, damaging houses, shops and other infrastructure, according to Ukraine's Southern Defense Forces.
Nine Odesa residents suffered injuries, including two children aged 12 and 9 and two infants, according to the latest update by Kiper.
The Russian drones were launched from Cape Chauda in occupied Crimea and Kursk Oblast, which borders Ukraine. Russia also launched two Iskander-M ballistic missiles from Belgorod region. The Air Force provided no information as to the outcome of the Russian missile launch.
The drones were intercepted over Mykolaiv, Odesa, Kyiv, and Cherkasy oblasts. Mobile fire groups of the Ukrainian Air Force and anti-aircraft missile units repelled the attack, the Air Force reported.
Multiple explosions were heard in Kyiv at around 3:35 a.m. local time on April 23 amid an air raid alert in the capital. Serhii Popko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, said that all aerial targets were destroyed by air defense. No casualties or damages were reported in the city.
Drone attacks are a daily occurrence in Ukraine, affecting various regions across the country. On April 22, Ukrainian air defense units destroyed five of the seven Shahed-type drones, as well as one Orlan-10 reconnaissance drone.
Kateryna Denisova
(Updated: )
