Massive drone attack on Odesa: power grid damaged, people injured

On the evening of 3 March, the Russian army attacked Odesa and the region with attack drones. Local residents reported explosions and a fire, and some areas of the city experienced power outages.

The head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, Oleh Kiper, warned in advance of the threat of attack drones to the Odesa region, urging people to take cover. Soon after, explosions were heard in the city. According to monitoring channels, a large number of Russian UAVs were moving from the Black Sea, attacking various districts of Odesa and the region. As a result of the attacks, a fire broke out in the city.

Later, Oleh Kiper reported that the strike caused significant damage to the energy infrastructure, leading to emergency power outages in parts of Odesa. Utilities promptly started working to launch generators to ensure the operation of critical facilities, including boiler houses. Additional «Points of Invincibility» are also being deployed.

The blast wave and debris damaged two private houses and a business centre. According to Odesa Mayor Hennadii Trukhanov, three district boiler houses were shut down as a result of the attack.

«We are working to restart the heat supply process as soon as possible using alternative power sources... Information about the victims is being clarified, the operational headquarters and city utilities are working», he said.

Later, Oleh Kiper clarified that four people were injured in the attack. Three residents of private houses suffered shrapnel wounds and fractures. They were hospitalised in moderate condition. Another person, who was in a business centre, sustained a concussion.

«The city's critical infrastructure and heat supply are operating normally, and boiler houses are powered. As of 8:00 a.m., power engineers have managed to restore electricity to seven thousand customers. Emergency power outages continue in some parts of the city. Power engineers are continuing to work on restoring the power supply. The points of invincibility are working», the head of the UIA wrote on the morning of 4 March.

As a reminder, US President Donald Trump has ordered the suspension of all military assistance to Ukraine, increasing pressure on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It should be noted that the decision not only cuts off funding, but also jeopardises the supply of critical ammunition, guided missile systems and anti-tank weapons.

Russian presidential spokesman Dmytro Peskov said that the foreign policy approaches of the Donald Trump administration «largely» in line with the Kremlin's position.» At the same time, he acknowledged that relations between the US and Russia still have a long way to go «to improve, but that if there is political will, it can be «overcome quite quickly».