UPDATE: Russian drone attacks against Odesa kill 3
Three civilians were killed in a Russian drone attack against Odesa overnight on Feb. 23, Odesa Oblast Governor Oleh Kiper reported on Telegram.
Kiper said rescuers found the body of one victim while fighting a fire that broke out at the attack site. Two more bodies were subsequently retrieved from the rubble of the damaged building.
Russian forces targeted Odesa Oblast with Shahed-131/136 attack drones and also launched Kh-31P and Kh-22 missiles from strategic aircraft from the Black Sea. The missiles lost their combat capability in the air.
Air defense downed at least nine drones over Odesa Oblast, according to the military. One of the drones hit over the sea crashed into a building in the coastal zone of Odesa, causing a fire. A security guard was rescued from the damaged building.
Rescue operations have been suspended as of 6 a.m. local time.
Ukraine's Air Force warned about the threat of drone attacks for Odesa, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.
Drone attacks are a daily occurrence in Ukraine, affecting various regions across the country. Overnight on Feb. 22, Ukraine’s air defense downed eight Shahed drones.
Andriy Lyubka
