Russia Attacks Odesa Region and Black Sea Ships, Damaging Power Lines

Russian forces launched a large-scale drone attack on Ukraine's Odesa region and three commercial vessels in the Black Sea early Friday, local authorities reported. Ukrainian air defence intercepted almost all of the drones. Damage to power lines left roughly 4,000 people without electricity in the southern part of the region, regional head Oleh Kiper wrote on Telegram.

Power engineers began work to restore service, Kiper stated. No injuries were reported in the Odesa region.

Russian drones also hit three commercial ships flying the flags of Vanuatu, the Comoros, and Panama while they traveled along the Ukrainian maritime corridor. Fires broke out on the vessels and were extinguished by crews, Kiper said. Two crew members on one ship sustained injuries that did not require hospitalization.

The Izmail port, near Romania's border, was also targeted. A Russian drone from the same overnight wave crashed into a residential building in the eastern Romanian city of Galați, causing a roof fire. The building was evacuated and two people were injured, Romania's foreign minister Oana Toiu said.

In southeastern Ukraine, Russian fire damaged residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia and injured one woman, the State Emergency Service reported. Ukrainian air defence said Russian forces launched 232 drones across Ukraine overnight, intercepting 217.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X that the country is preparing for another large-scale Russian attack, citing intelligence data indicating Russia plans to rely on missiles rather than diplomatic steps.