Russian drone attack on Odesa wounds 14, officials say
Details and Impact of the Odesa Drone Attack
ODESA, April 27 (Reuters) - An overnight Russian drone attack on Ukraine's southern city of Odesa wounded more than a dozen people, including two children, and damaged residential buildings, Ukrainian officials said on Monday.
Extent of Damage in Prymorskyi District
The strikes caused the worst damage in the historic central Prymorskyi district, where residential buildings, a hotel and facilities were damaged, said Serhiy Lysak, the head of the local military administration, on Telegram.
Most of the injured people were located there, Lysak said.
Injuries and Emergency Response
The regional governor, Oleh Kiper, said the number of injured rose to 14.
Odesa’s Strategic Importance
Odesa, a major Black Sea port and a focal point for Ukrainian exports, has been a repeated target of Russian attacks during more than four years of Russia's war.
Eyewitness Accounts and Aftermath
"It was an extremely difficult night," Lysak said, adding that high-rise residential buildings, private homes and vehicles came under attack in two other districts.
He posted photographs of a damaged building with shattered windows.
Resident Testimony
"We made it through. Old buildings are the strongest," Volodymyr Taban, 68, a resident of the damaged building, told Reuters as he cleared debris.
Port Infrastructure and Vessel Attacked
PORT INFRASTRUCTURE, VESSEL ATTACKED
Ukraine's seaports authority said that port infrastructure of the Greater Odesa hub came under attack, and a "Ramco" Nauru-flagged vessel sustained minor damage as it moved through a Ukrainian maritime corridor.
Damage to Energy Facility and Vessel
It said the attack damaged an energy facility within the cargo terminal, causing local fires, which were quickly extinguished. Fire on board the vessel was extinguished by the crew and according to preliminary information, no one was injured, it added.
Scale of the Attack and International Response
Ukraine's air force said Russia had attacked the country with 94 drones since 6 p.m. (1500 GMT) on Sunday, of which 74 were downed or neutralised.
Statements from Ukrainian Leadership
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Russian forces had launched around 1,900 attack drones, nearly 1,400 guided aerial bombs, and around 60 missiles of various types at Ukraine over the past week.
International Support and Sanctions
"This highlights how timely the new partner contributions to the PURL initiative are," he said on X, referring to a NATO-led initiative launched last year to purchase U.S.-made weapons for Ukraine. He also noted the approval of new European Union sanctions against Russia and a 90-billion-euro ($105-billion) loan to Ukraine.
(Reporting by Anna Pruchnicka, Iryna Nazarchuk; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
