A Russian drone strike on the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa overnight into Saturday, June 28, 2025, has left two people dead and at least 17 others injured, including three children, according to Ukrainian authorities.
Local media reports say the attack, which struck a 21-story residential building, caused extensive damage and ignited fires on multiple floors, trapping residents and prompting a large-scale emergency response.
Details of the Attack
The drone, identified by Ukrainian officials as a Shahed-type, slammed into the high-rise building during the early hours of Saturday, June 28.
The impact caused a fire on the 7th, 8th, and 9th floors, leaving several residents trapped in their apartments.
Emergency service teams worked through the night, rescuing five people, including a small child, from the burning structure.
Regional Governor Oleh Kiper confirmed that the two fatalities were a married couple whose bodies were recovered from the rubble.
Among the 17 injured, three are children, with one child reported to be in critical condition.
The injured have been taken to local hospitals for treatment, and emergency workers continued to sift through debris for any additional victims.
Wider Context and Response
The attack on Odesa is part of a broader escalation in Russian drone and missile strikes against Ukrainian cities in recent weeks.
This surge in attacks coincides with a deadlock in diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict, now in its fourth year.
Odesa, a key Black Sea port with a population of about one million, has been a frequent target of Russian strikes since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
Ukraine’s air defense reported that Russia launched 23 drones at Ukraine overnight, with Odesa being the primary target.
Ukrainian forces managed to shoot down 22 of these drones, but one successfully struck the residential building, while debris from downed drones fell in eight other locations in the region.
Videos released by the State Emergency Service showed firefighters battling flames and guiding residents down smoke-filled stairwells in the dark.
Russian and International Reaction
As of Saturday afternoon, there was no immediate comment from Moscow regarding the Odesa strike.
However, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its air defenses shot down over 40 Ukrainian drones overnight and into Saturday morning over western Russia and occupied Crimea.
The ongoing drone warfare has become a defining feature of the conflict, with both sides racing to develop more advanced and lethal unmanned aerial vehicles.
The United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine recently reported that short-range drone attacks have killed at least 395 civilians.
It reports that these attacks have also injured 2,635 since the start of the war in February 2022, with nearly 90% of these attacks attributed to Russian forces.
Overall, more than 13,300 civilians have died and over 34,700 have been injured in the conflict, according to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Aftermath and Ongoing Threats
The strike on Odesa underscores the persistent threat to civilian life and infrastructure in Ukraine’s urban centers.
Rescue operations were complicated by ongoing air raid alarms, which forced emergency workers to operate under the constant risk of further attacks.
The attack follows a similar incident on June 20, when a Russian drone strike killed one civilian and injured 14 others in Odesa.
Authorities in the neighboring Kherson region also reported that Russian strikes killed one person and wounded three others over the past day, targeting both critical infrastructure and residential areas.
The cumulative effect of these attacks has devastated much of eastern and southern Ukraine, displacing millions and causing widespread destruction.
Conclusion
Saturday’s drone strike in Odesa is the latest in a series of Russian attacks that continue to claim civilian lives and strain Ukraine’s emergency services.
As the war grinds on with no diplomatic breakthrough in sight, both sides appear increasingly reliant on drone warfare, turning Ukraine into a testing ground for new military technologies.
The human cost, however, remains starkly evident in the aftermath of each attack.
