Russia Hits Kyiv, Odesa with Massive Drone Strike, Maternity Ward Damaged

Russia Launches Massive Drone Attack on Kyiv and Odesa, Killing and Injuring Civilians

Russia launched 315 drones in a coordinated aerial strike over Kyiv overnight into Tuesday, an attack on the Ukrainian capital that President Volodymyr Zelensky described as “one of the largest.” The deadly strikes have resulted in extensive damage to the capital and other cities. Odesa, for example, witnessed the deaths of people as a result of the strikes. Klitschko stated that drones ignited residential buildings, vehicles, and warehouses in seven districts of Kyiv. Four people were injured in the capital, and according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, it was a “tough night for all of us”.

Maternity ward in Odesa destroyed Furthermore, at least two men were killed and nine others were injured during the strikes in the southern port city of Odesa. According to Ihor Zhdanov, a spokesman for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a maternity ward was one of the attacked buildings. A video shows physicians cleaning up shattered glass from the hospital floor. The attack was terrifying, according to 78-year-old Odesa resident Violetta.

“My garage with my car is destroyed… the roof of my apartment collapsed,” she said. Another Odesa resident, 76-year-old Lyudmila, stated that drones hovered in the sky day and night and many loud blasts could be heard. “It’s very difficult from a psychological perspective,” she added. According to Worthy, two KN-23 ballistic missiles and five Iskander-K cruise missiles were also launched by Russia as part of the overnight strikes, according to Ukraine’s Air Force. This most recent assault came only a day after Russia conducted is largest drone strike to date, launching 479 UAVs in the 24 hours of that weekend—shattering its previous record for the second time in a quarter.

In a statement, President Zelensky criticized this continuous aggression: “Russian missile and Shahed strikes drown out the efforts of the United States and others around the world to force Russia into peace,” he stated. Even though the Ukrainian air defense systems continue to function through the night, the attacks show no signs of abetting as civilians suffer the psychological and physical consequences and brace for further escalations.