Russian Shahed drone attack kills six civilians in Odesa, Kharkiv Oblast (updated)

Overnight, Russian Shahed drone strikes killed five civilians in Odesa and one in Kharkiv Oblast.

Mar 2, 2024 - 13:01
Russian Shahed drone attack kills six civilians in Odesa, Kharkiv Oblast (updated)

On the night of 2 March, Russian troops attacked Ukraine with 17 Shahed-136/131 kamikaze UAVs. Ukrainian air defense destroyed 14 drones, as reported by Ukraine’s Air Force.

One of the Shahed drones struck an apartment building in Odesa, destroying one section.

As of 9 am, the bodies of two civilians were retrieved from under the rubble, Oleh Kiper, head of Odesa Oblast Military Administration, reported.

According to Kiper, seven more civilians were injured, including a pregnant woman and a 3-year-old girl.

Rescue efforts at the site are ongoing.

Simultaneously, Russian forces attacked Kharkiv Oblast with drones. One drone struck a residential area of Kharkiv, destroying several vehicles, including an ambulance, and damaging residential buildings, Oleh Syniehubov, head of Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration, reported.

Kharkiv
Consequences of Russian Shahed drone attack on Kharkiv on 2 March. Credit: Place Kharkiv/TG

According to Syniehubov, three civilians had an acute stress reaction.

In the village of Velykyi Burluk, Kupiansk district, a drone struck a private house, killing a man sleeping in it.

Kharkiv Oblast drone attack
Consequences of Russian Shahed drone attack on Kharkiv Oblast on 2 March. Credit: Prosecutor’s Office of Kharkiv Oblast

Additionally, over the past 24 hours, Russian troops have fired artillery and mortars at more than 20 settlements in Kharkiv Oblast and launched air strikes against six settlements. Multiple instances of destruction of civilian facilities have been reported.

Update.

At 10:46 am, the head of the Odesa Oblast Military Administration reported that rescuers retrieved the body of the third victim from the rubble of the destroyed apartment building in Odesa.