On the night of December 31, the Russian army launched an attack on the Odessa region, UNIAN reported. Fires broke out in the regional capital, and part of the city is without electricity, water and heating.
Sergiy Lysak, chairman of the Odessa Interregional Military District, reported that high-rise buildings were affected in two areas of the city. Apartments in one of the buildings caught fire. There are injuries, including children, who are being provided with all necessary assistance.
„All necessary services are working on the spot. The buildings are being checked," he added.
An UNIAN correspondent reports that the air raid siren was activated at around 11:30 p.m. Monitoring channels reported that many "Shahed" missiles were heading towards Odessa and the Odessa region. Explosions subsequently began in the city, and drones were spotted in various areas.
Lysak announced that part of the city was without electricity, water and heating due to an enemy attack.
"Another proof that Russia is fighting against civilians... The attack continues, so I ask everyone to stay in safe places," stressed Lysak.
Witnesses on social networks reported fires in the city. Local Telegram channels also reported damage to residential buildings and a post office.
According to the head of the Odessa regional city administration, Oleg Kiper, "the enemy is currently continuing its massive attack on the Odessa region with drones. The Russians are once again targeting civilian and energy infrastructure".
In one of the settlements in the region, the warehouses of a logistics company caught fire as a result of the attack. A drone was also filmed hitting a multi-storey residential building without causing a fire or detonation. Information about the victims is being clarified.
„I ask the residents of the Odessa region to stay in safe places until everything is cleared. "Do not approach the strike sites, do not take pictures or reveal the work of air defense," the official stressed.
At 2:33 a.m., the TV channel "Obshchestvennoe" reported explosions in Kiev as well.
According to the online map of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, an air raid siren was sounded in the capital, as well as in the Kiev region and several other regions.
On December 30, the Russian army carried out drone strikes on ports in the Odessa region. According to the Ukrainian Navy, the Russians used strike drones to attack the ships "Emakris III" and "Kapitan Karam", which were entering the port to load wheat. According to Oleksiy Kuleba, Deputy Prime Minister for Reconstruction and Minister of Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine, "the aggressor attacked the seaports of "Yuzhny" and "Chernomorsk". A 48-year-old man was injured in the attack.