A Russian drone strike on the Black Sea port city of Odesa early Thursday killed two persons and injured 15, according to Ukrainian emergency services.
Regional Governor Oleh Kiper claimed the attack damaged a 16-story structure, many additional apartment complexes, private homes, a school, a supermarket, and cars.
According to Irina Kovalenko, a spokesman for the regional prosecutor’s office in Odesa, nine of the fifteen victims were occupants of the 16-story building.
“In one of the houses a man died, born in 1943, and a woman, born in 1955. It is likely that they are spouses. The number of victims is still being clarified,” Kovalenko added.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia launched five Iskander-M ballistic missiles and 170 unmanned aerial vehicles of various types, including loitering weapons and decoy drones, into five Ukrainian districts.
Out of those, 74 Shahed-type attack drones were shot down, and another 68 copycat drones were “locationally lost” without incident.
According to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, an elderly woman in Kyiv was injured by an explosive portion of a drone. Kyiv authorities have also cautioned citizens to be cautious if they come across debris, citing possible cluster munitions use.
No casualties have been reported in the regions of Kharkiv, Sumy and Donetsk.
Meanwhile, seven people were killed and at least 20 wounded after a Ukrainian drone attack reportedly struck the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky in Ukraine’s Kherson region on Thursday, Moscow-appointed officials in the region said.
The latest wave of attacks happened after Washington and Kyiv signed an agreement on Wednesday granting the US access to Ukraine’s vast rare earth mineral resources.
The deal, which has been months in the making, could lead to continued military support for Ukraine.
