KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian officials reported Monday that a nighttime Russian drone strike on the southern port city of Odesa claimed the lives of three civilians, including two women and a 2-year-old child, as Ukraine simultaneously launched its own drone offensive against Russian oil export facilities along the Black Sea.
The devastating assault severely damaged a residential apartment building in Odesa, prompting rescue teams to work through the night using floodlights to extract four survivors from the debris.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported on X that eleven individuals required hospitalization following the attack, among them a pregnant woman and two young children, with the youngest victim being under one year of age.
Since launching its invasion more than four years ago, Russia has consistently targeted civilian areas throughout Ukraine, resulting in over 15,000 deaths according to United Nations data.
The overnight bombardment extended beyond Odesa, with Russian forces also striking power infrastructure across the Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Dnipro regions, Zelenskyy confirmed.
Regional power companies reported that more than 300,000 homes lost electricity in northern Chernihiv after distribution centers sustained damage from the attacks.
Zelenskyy revealed that Russian forces have unleashed more than 2,800 attack drones, nearly 1,350 powerful glide bombs and over 40 various missiles against Ukraine in just the past seven days.
During a recent Associated Press interview, Zelenskyy voiced concerns that conflicts involving Iran are depleting weapon stockpiles Ukraine desperately needs for defense, particularly American-manufactured Patriot air defense systems capable of intercepting missiles.
“Russia has no intention of stopping” its invasion, Zelenskyy stated Monday, emphasizing that the country’s allies “need to strengthen air defense together so that the interception rate of drones and missiles continues to increase.”
Ukraine has responded by developing indigenous long-range drone technology capable of striking targets up to 1,500 kilometers (900 miles) within Russian territory.
These Ukrainian drones have recently focused on Russian oil infrastructure, particularly as Moscow seeks to increase exports following temporary sanctions relief from the Trump administration aimed at easing supply shortages. Ukrainian officials argue that Russia will use additional oil revenues to purchase more weapons for continued attacks.
Russian Defense Ministry officials claimed their air defenses successfully intercepted 50 Ukrainian drones during overnight operations.
Krasnodar Governor Veniamin Kondratyev reported that eight individuals, including two children, sustained injuries during multiple Ukrainian drone strikes on Novorossiisk, a major Russian Black Sea port. The assault damaged six apartment complexes and two residential homes, according to his statement.
Unverified media sources suggested the drones specifically targeted the Sheskharis oil terminal located at the Black Sea port.
Ukrainian drone operations last week successfully struck oil facilities in Russia’s Gulf of Finland region in the northwest part of the country.
