Overnight into Nov 17, Russia launched a massive Shahed drone attack on Ukraine’s Odesa region, striking port infrastructure in Odesa city and Chornomorsk, igniting fires at grain terminals and a solar power plant.
Ukrainian air defences downed most drones but several hits damaged cranes, loading equipment and three civilian vessels; one port worker injured and over 32,000 households lost electricity.
Latest in near-daily assaults on Ukraine’s vital Black Sea grain export hub
Overnight Russian drone strikes battered Ukraine's southern Odesa region, igniting blazes at critical port and energy infrastructure while damaging civilian vessels and leaving tens of thousands in darkness. The assault, part of Moscow's escalating campaign to cripple Kyiv's export lifelines and power grid ahead of a harsh winter, prompted swift emergency responses but underscored the relentless toll on Ukraine's Black Sea gateway.
The barrage unfolded in the early hours of Monday, with Ukrainian air defenses intercepting most of a large-scale drone swarm launched from Russian-occupied Crimea and the Black Sea. Despite these efforts, several Shahed-type unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) breached defenses, slamming into targets across multiple districts. Explosions rocked Odesa city and surrounding areas like Chornomorsk, where port cranes and loading equipment crumpled under the impacts. Fires erupted at grain silos, electrical substations, and a solar power plant, with flames visible for miles as rescuers battled the inferno in sub-zero temperatures.
Oleh Kiper, head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, confirmed the strikes in a dawn Telegram update: "Despite effective air defense work, damage to energy and port infrastructure was recorded. Several civilian vessels were damaged during the attack, and fires broke out but were quickly extinguished."
This marks the latest in a string of targeted assaults on Odesa, Ukraine's vital export hub responsible for 70% of its grain shipments via the Black Sea corridor. Just days prior, on November 15, a missile barrage killed two in Chornomorsk and wounded dozens, while November 11 strikes razed a maternity ward and residential blocks.
