Russia launched a massive drone assault on Ukraine’s southern city of Odesa, striking energy infrastructure and leaving at least 160,000 residents without heating in freezing temperatures,

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday.

The attack injured four people, including a child, and triggered widespread power outages, affecting heating supplies for approximately 500 apartment buildings, 13 schools, a kindergarten, and multiple hospitals, according to local officials.

With temperatures in the Black Sea port city plummeting to -6°C (21.2°F), emergency crews scrambled to restore power and heating. “Rescue operations are underway in Odesa after another Russian attack on the energy infrastructure,” Zelenskiy stated on Telegram. “For nearly three years, Russia has relentlessly targeted civilian energy facilities with missiles and drones.”

Ukraine’s military reported that Russia launched 167 drones overnight across Odesa and other regions, with air defense forces and mobile drone-hunting units successfully downing 106 of them. Additionally, electronic warfare measures helped disrupt 56 drones.

Escalating attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure

Since March 2024, Russia has intensified strikes on Ukraine’s power grid, destroying nearly half of the country’s available generating capacity and triggering frequent blackouts.

Odesa Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov confirmed that energy workers were assessing the damage in one of the city's largest residential districts, which had lost both power and heating. "The situation with heating is very difficult," he stated, announcing that schools and kindergartens in the affected district would remain closed.

Video footage from the site showed shattered windows, collapsed ceilings, and damaged facades. Residents described scenes of devastation. “We ran into the building hall, but all the windows were blown out,” said Tetiana, an Odesa resident. “The next strikes sent debris flying everywhere. The furniture toppled, the door was blasted off. Even the bathroom ventilation was destroyed – and they say the bathroom is a safe place. It’s not.”

While Russia claims it does not deliberately target civilians, thousands have died since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. Photo by Jewgienij Bal, Wikimedia commons.