Russian forces subjected Ukraine to a massive combined missile attack during the New Year holidays. The strike involved the widest range of missile weapons and was one of the most massive terrorist attacks of the full-scale war. The scale of Russia’s missile strike on Ukraine during the New Year holidays can be compared with a tactical nuclear strike, according to military analyst Alexander Kovalenko (@zloy_odessit).

We collect facts about the Russian Federation’s crimes against nature in Odesa and Odesa Oblast during the war: environmental pollution caused by explosions and damage to infrastructure, contamination of air, water and soil with toxic substances, destruction of ecosystems in protected areas and internationally important conservation areas, and more. We will update the information daily, so please send any facts you know to:  zeleniy.list1@gmal.com

07.12.2023

At night, Russian forces attacked Izmail district with strike drones for almost two hours. Our air-defence forces shot down most of the Shaheds, but unfortunately some strikes occurred.

The attackers deliberately targeted port infrastructure in the Danube region. A warehouse, an elevator and trucks were damaged. The driver of one of the lorries was killed. A fire broke out at the site and was quickly extinguished by State Emergency Service personnel.

13.12.2023

During the attack on Odesa, one of the downed drones fell on the premises of a vehicle-repair company. A fire broke out and was quickly extinguished. Eleven civilian vehicles were damaged by the fire, three of them completely burned out.

Two employees were injured and hospitalised; their condition was satisfactory.

In Odesa district, debris from another downed drone also damaged one of the port-infrastructure buildings. Fortunately, no one was killed or injured.

It later became known that one of the people injured in the attack, a 42-year-old man, died in hospital.

14.12.2023

Forty-one of 42 Shaheds were shot down over Ukraine that night. In Odesa, a damaged UAV fell on a dormitory, injuring two children. An eight-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl suffered concussions and closed head injuries. Their parents suffered concussions and injuries of varying severity.

A passenger car and an outbuilding also caught fire. Eleven nearby buildings were damaged.

On the night of 14 December, Russian drones violated the airspace of Romania, a NATO member state. German Eurofighter jets were scrambled, and the pilots visually identified up to 70 Shahed-136 drones launched from Russia toward Ukraine. According to preliminary information, one UAV exploded in Romanian airspace, and an explosion crater was found 6.5 km from the Ukrainian border.

17.12.2023

On the night of 17 December, the armed forces of the Russian Federation once again attacked Odesa Oblast with strike UAVs. A 54-year-old man, a resident of a private house in Odesa district, was killed in the attack. The house was completely destroyed and a fire broke out. The blast wave damaged roofs, walls, floors, windows and doors of surrounding houses. A warehouse  belonging to a private sports institution was destroyed.

22.12.2023

Twenty-four of 28 Shaheds were destroyed over Ukraine during the night. In Odesa Oblast, the enemy again tried to strike port infrastructure, but air-defence forces worked effectively.

Nevertheless, debris from a downed UAV damaged a grain warehouse and caused a fire, which company employees quickly brought under control. No one was injured.

27.12.2023

During an attack in Odesa Oblast, a downed drone fell on holiday homes and caused a fire. One person was killed and three others were injured. The Southern Defence Forces reported this.

“In Odesa Oblast, the enemy focused on attacking the regional centre. Air-defence forces engaged all enemy targets. Debris from downed UAVs fell on one of the unoccupied new buildings. A drone shot down in the air also fell on holiday homes in the Odesa suburbs. A fire broke out and has already been extinguished. One person was killed and three were injured, including a 17-year-old teenager,” the statement said.

28.12.2023

A Panama-flagged vessel struck a Russian mine in the Black Sea, the Southern Defence Forces reported. The bulk carrier was heading to one of the Danube ports to load grain. The vessel lost control and a fire broke out on the upper deck. To prevent it from sinking, the captain grounded the vessel on a shoal. Two sailors were injured. One received assistance at the scene, while the other was taken to the nearest hospital. His condition was satisfactory. Tugs were sent to refloat the vessel and tow it to port.

In the evening, Russian forces attacked Odesa with strike drones. Powerful explosions were heard in the city. Ten Shaheds were shot down during the night. However, debris from a downed drone struck a multi-storey residential building. A fire broke out on the upper floors. Another UAV also struck a mothballed building at an infrastructure facility.

29.12.2023

Russian forces had been accumulating missiles for several months and on 29 December carried out the most massive aerial attack since the start of the full-scale invasion. According to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 158 aerial targets were launched at Ukraine — 36 Shaheds and 122 missiles of various types (all types except Kalibr missiles). Air-defence forces managed to destroy 114 targets.

Valerii Zaluzhnyi published detailed information about the attack.

The attackers first used their usual tactic of launching Shaheds from the north and south-east, followed by movement westward. A total of 36 Shahed-136/131 strike UAVs were recorded.

At about 03:00, the enemy launched strategic aviation — Tu-95MS bombers. Eighteen aircraft in total reached their launch lines at about 06:00 and fired at least 90 Kh-101/Kh-555/Kh-55 air-launched cruise missiles.

From Kursk Oblast at about 05:00, the enemy used Tu-22M3 long-range bombers, which launched eight Kh-22/Kh-32 cruise missiles toward northern and central regions.

At the same time, the attackers struck Kharkiv with S-300 surface-to-air guided missiles. In total, the enemy launched at least 14 missiles flying on ballistic trajectories — S-300/S-400/Iskander-M missiles from occupied Crimea and from Russia’s Kursk and Belgorod regions.

At 06:30, the take-off of five MiG-31K fighters was recorded; they launched five Kh-47M2 Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles from Astrakhan Oblast.

Four Kh-31P anti-radiation missiles and one Kh-59 missile were also launched from Su-35 tactical aircraft. On that day, the Russian army used missiles supplied by North Korea against Ukraine for the first time.

At least 18 people were killed and more than 130 were injured.

In Kyiv , the Lukianivska metro station building was damaged, and infrastructure was damaged in the Podilskyi, Sviatoshynskyi, Shevchenkivskyi and Darnytskyi districts. In one district of the city, people were trapped under the rubble of a warehouse.

In Dnipro , missiles struck a maternity hospital and a shopping centre. Almost fifteen people were injured and four were killed.

In Kharkiv , a total of 22 strikes were recorded in different parts of the city. Medical facilities, warehouses and civilian enterprises were damaged. Three people were killed and 13 were injured, 11 of whom were hospitalised.

In Zaporizhzhia , one local enterprise was damaged, a private house was destroyed, and windows were blown out in 19 high-rise buildings, two educational institutions and a medical facility. Nine people were killed and 13 were injured.

In Lviv , a residential building was hit, while a school and a kindergarten were damaged. One person was killed and fifteen were injured. 

The enemy launched nine missiles toward southern Ukraine; five of them, probably Kh-101/555/55 missiles, were shot down by air defence over Odesa Oblast, the Southern Defence Forces reported.

Three missiles struck residential buildings in the morning in Odesa: a private house was completely destroyed; a three-storey apartment building suffered critical damage, killing one person; and in one residential complex a missile pierced a high-rise building and exploded inside, burning out several floors. Two people were immediately found dead there.

In total, as a result of the night-time and morning attacks in Odesa, 21 residential buildings were damaged, including two private houses; all the others were multi-storey buildings. One of the city’s schools was also damaged during the missile attack. Windows were blown out in the building. An explosion crater formed nearby.

According to preliminary estimates, about 70 apartments sustained varying degrees of damage.

Five people were killed and 26 were injured. Among the injured were two children aged six and eight and a pregnant woman.

30 December was declared a day of mourning in Odesa Oblast for those killed in the Russian missile attack.

30.12.2023

In the evening, the enemy launched another missile strike on Odesa. A Kh-59 missile was fired at the region and fell on the grounds of one of the enterprises. Fortunately, no one was injured.

31.12.2023

On the night of 31 December 2023 to 1 January 2024, the Russian army attacked Odesa Oblast with drones. The attack lasted several hours, and defence forces shot down 28 Shahed-type drones over the region.

Port infrastructure was hit. At least three apartment buildings, three private houses and outbuildings were damaged.

A 15-year-old teenager was killed in the attack. Three people with injuries and burns were hospitalised, while four others received assistance at the scene.