Russian drones strike Ukraine’s Odesa, damaging historic market and UNESCO-protected sites

Russian forces launched a drone attack on the Ukrainian city of Odesa in the early hours of Thursday, damaging residential buildings and historic sites, according to Governor Oleh Kiper.

Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said a nine-story apartment building was destroyed in the strike. “Residents of apartments on the fifth through eighth floors have been left without homes,” the agency said, adding that parts of the structure are now at risk of collapse. Firefighters evacuated 33 people and rescued five others from blocked apartments.

Emergency officials also reported fires at a private home and a gas station, injuring three people.

Odesa’s historic Pryvoz Market was also hit, sparking a fire.

Kiper said the strike damaged several architectural landmarks in Odesa’s historic center, a district protected by UNESCO.

In the city of Cherkasy, six people were injured in a separate Russian strike, according to local authorities. In Kherson, two people were hospitalized following a drone attack.