New Russia drone attack on Odesa kills one, countrywide death at six
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The site of an overnight Russian drone attack on a residential building in Dnipro, in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region, on Feb 23, 2024.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
KYIV – A Russian drone attacked Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa on Feb 23 for the second night running, hitting a residential building, killing one person and injuring three others, the regional governor said.
In all, six people died and 12 were injured in various Ukrainian regions over 24 hours.
Odesa Governor Oleh Kiper, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said the body of a man had been recovered from under rubble in the city. Three people were taken to hospital with serious injuries.
“We have no certainty about the information from neighbouring residents and therefore can’t be sure,” Mr Kiper said on national television.
“So the search and clearing operation will continue until the last brick is removed to make sure no one is left there.”
Pictures posted online show flames reaching skywards from a building and rescue teams picking their way through rubble.
In the city of Dnipro in the south-east, a Russian drone hit an apartment building and an overnight search and rescue operation uncovered two dead.
The top two floors were damaged, Mr Serhiy Lysak, governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, wrote on Telegram.
In an attack on the Donetsk region near the front lines, one civilian was killed in the town of Myrnohrad, and 21 houses, a school and a multi-storey residential building were damaged, said Mr Oleksiy Kuleba, deputy head of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office.
Ukrainian air defences shot down 23 out of 31 Russian-launched drones over five regions, the air force said.
“Another difficult night for Ukrainians. The enemy launched three dozen Shaheds (drones) and six missiles at peaceful settlements of the country,” Mr Kuleba said.
In a post on Telegram, the military’s southern forces said they had intercepted nine drones in the Odesa region.
The military said missiles were also used in the attacks, but failed to hit any targets.
As the war enters its third year, Russia has intensified its bombardment of Ukrainian ports, including Odesa, and grain infrastructure in recent months after Moscow pulled out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, a wartime deal that enabled Ukraine’s exports to reach many countries facing the threat of hunger.
Kyiv has since set up an alternative corridor to ship grain and other products via its Black Sea ports near Odesa. REUTERS
