Explosions rock Odesa as mass Russian missile, drone attack continues

kyivindependent:  Numerous explosions were heard in the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa on Sunday evening as Russia launched a wave of attacks in southern Ukraine, Ukrainian media Suspilne reported on Nov. 5.

The Ukrainian Air Force first warned of a missile travelling in the direction of Odesa around 9 p.m. in the evening. Soon after, several groups of Iranian-designed Shahed-type drones were reported to be flying in the direction of southern Ukraine.

“The first group of 'Shaheds' is moving along the Ukrainian-Moldovan border to the northwest. The second group is located north of Odesa, moving north. Three more groups are approaching Odesa from the Black Sea,” the Air Force wrote on Telegram at 10 p.m.

By 11:30 p.m., the all-clear was announced in Odesa Oblast.

Local Telegram channels have so far reported several hits in the city, but this information can not yet be independently verified.

Photos posted by local media also showed windows blown out by the shockwaves, while a local resident told the Kyiv Independent that the train carriage she was in at the station was rocked by the blasts.

Authorities and local media also reported that Ukrainian air defense was active in the region.

Explosions were also reported in Kherson, 143 kilometers east of Odesa.

The Air Force also warned of ballistic missiles in the direction of Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia.

Russia launched multiple attacks across southern Ukraine on Nov. 5.

Earlier in the day, Russian forces struck an infrastructure facility in Odesa Oblast with a Kh-31P missile launched from the Black Sea, wounding three people.

The strike damaged administrative buildings and surrounding houses, the military said, adding that Russia's priority in the area is obstructing the movement of civilian maritime traffic.

Russian troops also launched over 50 guided aerial bombs against Kherson Oblast over the weekend, hitting settlements.

Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko reported that Russian troops dropped a guided aerial bomb at a village school in Kherson Oblast's Darivka district. There were no casualties, Klymenko said. However, apart from the school, the attack also damaged six nearby houses.