Odesa Under Attack: Russian Drone Strikes Kill 1, Injure 14, Ignite Fires Across City

Russian drone strikes battered the Ukrainian Black Sea port city of Odesa overnight on June 20, 2025, killing one civilian and injuring at least 14 others, including three emergency workers, according to local authorities and Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office. The attacks caused significant damage to residential high-rises, a university, railway infrastructure, and other civilian facilities.

The assault began around 1 a.m. local time, when more than 10 drones targeted residential neighborhoods, sparking large fires that engulfed several buildings. A 23-story apartment block was hit, with flames spreading between the 18th and 20th floors and forcing the evacuation of over 600 residents. In a separate incident, three firefighters were hospitalized after a four-story building collapsed while they were responding to the blaze.

Odesa’s main railway station also sustained damage, with power lines and tracks affected, though no injuries were reported at the station. Governor Oleh Kiper confirmed that the strikes damaged residential buildings, a university, a gas pipeline, and private vehicles, sharing images of burning homes and scorched high-rises on social media. Emergency crews worked through the night to extinguish fires and rescue trapped residents, including a woman seen climbing from a window in her pajamas as flames raged behind her.

Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched 86 drones nationwide during the night, with air defenses intercepting 70 of them. However, at least eight sites in Odesa were struck directly, highlighting the challenge of protecting civilian infrastructure from ongoing aerial assaults. Odesa, Ukraine’s largest port on the Black Sea, has faced relentless Russian attacks since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, with repeated strikes on homes, businesses, and vital infrastructure.

The latest attack follows a series of devastating strikes on Odesa in recent months, including a May 2024 incident that injured 13 and a June 2023 attack that left at least three dead and 13 wounded. The frequency and intensity of these assaults have heightened fears among Odesa’s one million residents, as the city continues to endure significant destruction and loss.