'Colossal destruction' – Russian drone strike on Odesa kills 3, injures 35, more may be under rubble
Editor's Note: This story is developing and being updated.
A massive Russian drone attack on Odesa in southern Ukraine struck several apartment and university buildings, killing at least three people, injuring dozens of others, and leaving an unknown number still stuck under rubble, officials said on Jan. 27.
Russia sent a swarm of over 50 drones into the city in an attack that began around 2:20 a.m. Odesa Oblast Governor Oleh Kiper wrote on Jan. 27 that the strikes damaged dozens of residential buildings, a preschool, and a church, initially reporting 23 injuries. That figure subsequently rose to 35, Suspilne reported, citing Public Health Director Olena Kolodenko.
"Emergency workers have pulled out 14 people, among them one child. It is tentatively known that people may still be stuck under the rubble," Kiper said in his initial response to the attack.
Odesa Mayor Serhiy Lysak wrote on Telegram hours later on Jan. 27 that emergency workers had recovered the first known fatality from the attack after hours of excavations. That number had risen to three dead dug out of the ruins as of 3:00 p.m., with work ongoing.
"The destruction is colossal, and repair work will require extended time to return equipment to working condition," energy provider DTEK wrote in a statement identifying its facilities as among those hit.
Lysak specified in a separate Telegram post that 43 buildings and 122 apartment units fell under the drone attack in Odesa's Prymorskiy Neighborhood, the downtown area near the Black Sea that includes much of the city's famous port. Three other buildings were damaged in the neighborhood of Perespylsky, which includes the rest of the main ports.
Odesa was the hardest hit among Ukrainian cities overnight. The Air Force reported a total of 165 Russian drones in Ukrainian airspace, including 24 strikes in 14 locations, as well as nine instances of drone debris falling on buildings throughout the country.
Another Russian attack in December took out the electric grid for much of Odesa. A series of strikes in recent weeks have spread power cuts throughout the nation.
