Russia launches drone attack on Ukraine's Odesa, no casualties

Kyiv: Russia early Wednesday launched a drone attack on Ukraine’s southern port city of Odesa but Ukraine’s air defences destroyed most of the drones, authorities said, adding, there were no immediate reports of casualties.

In a statement on Telegram, Yuriy Kruk, head of the Odesa district military administration, said, “At night, the enemy carried out an attack by UAVs of the Shahed-136 type on the Odesa region.”

Kruk said some civilian infrastructure was hit but there were no casualties.

“According to preliminary information, there were no casualties. Measures are being taken to contain the fire, units of the State Emergency Service and other structures are working on the spot.”

The Shahed-136 is a small Iranian-made, self-detonating drone that can be programmed to fly automatically to a set of GPS coordinates with a payload of explosives.

Russia’s drone industry has been hit by international sanctions and a number have been shot down since the start of the war – prompting Moscow to import drones from Iran.

The Black Sea port of Odesa was a favourite holiday destination for many Ukrainians and Russians before President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine in February last year.

Since the start of the invasion, Odesa has been bombed several times by Russian forces. It was also hit by a drone attack two weeks ago that caused some damage.

In January, the United Nations cultural agency UNESCO designated the historic centre of Odesa a World Heritage in Danger site.

With inputs from agencies

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