Russia and Ukraine took aim at corresponding Black Sea resort cities early Thursday morning, just hours after ceasefire talks in Turkey once again failed to deliver results.
The major Russian resort city of Sochi was rocked by a Ukrainian drone strike that began around 1 a.m. and lasted until 3 a.m., where one person was reportedly killed and another injured, according to Ukrainian media outlet the Kyiv Independent, though the Ukrainian military has not commented on the incident.
An oil depot in the Krasnodar Krai region where Sochi is located was also struck, though the extent of the damage remains unclear.
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Kyiv has routinely levied strikes at Russian territory as Moscow continues to pummel not only the eastern frontlines of Ukraine, but civilian populations across the country.
What Ukraine may have been targeting in Sochi remains unclear, though the city is home to some of Russia’s most favored vacation locations as well as the infamous Soviet-era palace used by the Kremlin leaders as a retreat, and allegedly housed Russian President Vladimir Putin during the COVID pandemic – though it was reportedly demolished in 2024 over Ukrainian strike concerns.
Russia also hit the Ukrainian port city of Odessa – which has been repeatedly targeted in the three-year-long war – in early morning strikes in what Ukraine’s State Emergency Service described as "another hellish night" as a nine-story residential building was struck.
"The residents from the 5th to the 8th floors lost their homes," the emergency management body said in a statement posted to Telegram. "There is a risk of structural collapse."
Emergency rescue teams evacuated 38 people, including five who were trapped in their apartments.
At least four people were injured in the overnight strikes, according to Reuters, and fires were reported to have raged in other parts of the city as well.
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"Overnight, russian forces launched a massive attack on Odesa. As a result of an attack, one of the city’s most iconic landmarks, the Pryvoz market, caught fire," Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense said in a post on X. "Also, multiple civilian targets were damaged, including the residential high-rise, a two-story building, a gas station, and even a UNESCO-protected architectural monument in the city center.
"Once again, Russians target civilian cities – there is zero military gain from these strikes," the ministry added. "Ukraine needs more air defense systems to protect our people from such terror."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said on Thursday that "dozens" of civilians in Kharkiv, including children, were injured in an overnight attack by Russian glide bombs.
"These are utterly senseless strikes with no military purpose whatsoever," Zelenskyy said. "And we see that this is Russia's only intention – to continue aggression and killings.
"That is precisely why we need support in defense – strong air defenses, expanded weapons production. All of this will help save lives," he added.
While Ukraine’s Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal met with NATO officials this week to discuss ramping up defensive aid and counter capabilities, attempted ceasefire talks in Istanbul between delegations from Moscow and Kyiv again failed to achieve any results, though future POW swaps were again discussed.
Zelenskyy took to X to voice his frustration at the continued Russian attacks despite Ukrainian efforts to secure a ceasefire, and said, "Yesterday, at the meeting in Istanbul, the proposal for an immediate and full ceasefire was reiterated to the Russian side."
"In response, Russian drones struck residential buildings and the Pryvoz market in Odesa, apartment blocks in Cherkasy, energy infrastructure in the Kharkiv region, a university gym in Zaporizhzhia. Donetsk, Sumy, and Mykolaiv regions were all under strikes as well," he added. "In total, there were 103 attack drones, mostly ‘Shaheds’, and four missiles."
President Donald Trump last week gave Putin 50 days to enter into a ceasefire or face stiff sanctions, though some have expressed concern that the threat of sanctions will not be enough to deter his war ambitions.
