Odesa faces critical situation following brutal Russian shelling
Parts of the city are without electricity, public transport is disrupted, and people are queuing for water.
Odesa
Odesa endured a night of powerful explosions as the Russian army launched dozens of strike drones against the city. Some drones were intercepted by air defenses, but several struck their targets. Residential neighborhoods suffered damage: windows were blown out, with locals and utility workers covering them with plastic sheets and wooden boards.
TSN.ua reporter Olena Cherniayeva reported on how the city withstood the Russian attack.
Warehouses, administrative buildings, and garages were hit. Fires broke out at the strike sites but were quickly extinguished by rescuers.
During the day, Russia launched another ballistic missile strike. Ukrainian President confirmed that a civilian vessel in Chornomorsk port was hit, stressing that, like many earlier attacks, it served no military purpose.
As a result of the night and daytime strikes, energy infrastructure was damaged. Parts of Odesa remained without electricity, and consequently without heating and water supply. Utility workers are distributing water using tankers.
Local residents acknowledge that, even after years of war, the scale of these blackouts is alarming.
“It was terrifying, the explosions came one after another. The power went out immediately and has not yet been restored,” a local resident said.
The blackout has disrupted several tram lines in the city, and trolleybuses are operating on shortened schedules. Energy crews are working under constant air raid alerts, often forced to pause repairs.
Restoring water supply is the top priority. In the meantime, residents are queuing at water stations powered by generators.
Energy officials describe the situation as extremely challenging. Generators are keeping critical infrastructure running, but full water service will only resume once the electricity system is fully operational.
The outages have affected not just Odesa but also several nearby towns. This year alone, energy officials say, the enemy has damaged at least 20 substations across the Odesa region.