Russia Hit Several Ukrainian Cities, Killing at least 10; Drone also Hits 5-Story Apartment Building in Odesa

Russia attacked several Ukrainian cities with missiles, drones and glide bombs Tuesday, killing at least 10 civilians, officials said, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow is getting new military help from North Korea for its more than 4-year-old invasion.

Zelenskyy said Russian forces used ballistic missiles supplied by North Korea in an overnight attack on the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, where a company said seven workers at its steel plant were killed and 21 injured.

Three more people, including a 15-year-old boy, were killed by Russian drones and artillery in the central Dnipropetrovsk region, authorities said.

In Odesa, a Russian attack drone struck a five-story residential building late Tuesday damaging an apartment. 

Odesa regional governor Oleh Kiper confirmed the strike and initially said authorities were determining whether anyone had been injured. In an update after midnight, Kiper reported that as of 12:30 AM. Wednesday, August. 12, there were no casualties from the strike.

Serhii Lysak, head of the Odesa City Military Administration, said the drone damaged an apartment on the fifth floor of the residential building.

“Fortunately, the owners were not at home at the time. So far, no information about casualties has been received,” Lysak wrote on Telegram.

Emergency and municipal crews were working at the scene, and authorities established an operational headquarters to coordinate the response. The threat continued after the strike.

Ukraine’s Air Force reported a Russian attack drone heading directly toward Odesa from the Black Sea and later warned of additional groups of strike UAVs moving toward Odesa and neighboring Mykolaiv regions. Another group was subsequently detected approaching the Tuzly Lagoons area of southern Odesa region from the Black Sea.

The residential-building strike came hours after another Russian attack in the Odesa region killed two people and injured three others.

According to Kiper, a Russian munition struck a tanker truck carrying residual vegetable oil, setting the truck and another vehicle on fire. 

Because Russian air attacks on Odesa take the form of near-daily air raid alarms, multi-weapon barrage waves, and targeted strikes, military authorities and conflict trackers measure the bombardment in thousands of launched weapons and hundreds of distinct strike incidents. 

Scale and Frequency of Attacks

Aerial Weapons Fired: The Ukrainian Navy and Air Force report that the Odesa region has been targeted by thousands of explosive assets. In a single focused timeframe between mid-2023 and early 2024 alone, Ukrainian forces recorded over 880 kamikaze drones (Shahed/Geran) and more than 170 cruise and ballistic missiles directed at Odesa's port and urban infrastructure.

Frequency of Alarms and Waves: Air raid sirens in Odesa Oblast have sounded thousands of times since February 24, 2022. Bombardments typically occur in intensive waves—sometimes multiple times a week or nightly during major escalation campaigns targeting Black Sea logistics.

Primary Strike Targets: Russian bombardments have concentrated heavily on critical infrastructure, including:

Port and Grain Logistics: Major commercial sea hubs (Odesa Port, Chornomorsk, Pivdennyi) and grain silos.

Energy Infrastructure: Electrical substations and power plants supplying the Black Sea coast.

Urban and Historical Center: Residential neighborhoods and cultural landmarks within Odesa’s UNESCO World Heritage site.