Ukraine says Russian drone strike hits Odesa, causes power outages in several districts

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) - A Russian drone attack on Odesa on Monday knocked out electricity in several districts of the southern Ukrainian city, disrupting urban transport and prompting emergency services to activate round-the-clock support points, according to local officials.

Serhiy Lysak, head of the Odesa City Military Administration, said on Telegram that the strike left “no electricity supply in several areas of the city,” adding that operational teams were deployed to manage the situation.

“The invincibility points are open for visits around the clock,” he said, referring to designated shelters providing heat and essential services during outages.

Lysak said electric transport services on multiple routes were experiencing interruptions, while repair teams were working to address the damage.

Ukraine’s Air Force earlier reported that a group of Russian UAVs approached the region from the Black Sea near Chornomorsk, with drones detected over the Odessa area during the attack.

Ukrainian media said infrastructure in the region’s port was also damaged during a separate overnight strike.

On the same day, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed that its air defense systems destroyed 40 Ukrainian drones across multiple regions between 2 pm (1100GMT) and 8 pm (1700GMT) Moscow time.

It said these included “14 UAVs over the Moscow region, including eight en route to Moscow,” as well as drones intercepted over Crimea, the Black Sea, Bryansk, Kaluga, and Kursk.

The ministry did not provide any details or reports of damage resulting from the incidents.