Russian drone attack kills one in Odesa, Ukraine retaliates
At least one person was killed and three injured after a Russian drone attack on Odesa on the night of July 19 caused a fire that engulfed a residential building, The Kyiv Independent reported.
"The enemy launched a massive drone attack on Odesa. Despite the active work of our air defense forces, there is still damage to civilian infrastructure," said Odesa regional governor Oleh Kiper in a Telegram post.
Emergency services responded to clear debris after the attack, and the casualty figures are preliminary.
"Following the attack, a fire broke out across the sixth to the ninth floor of an apartment building. The fire was extinguished by emergency responders along with volunteers," the State Emergency Service stated.
Five people were rescued from the burning apartments, but one of the women rescued later died, local authorities reported.
Notably, at least 20 drones struck the Izmail district in southern Odesa region between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Infrastructure in six Ukrainian settlements was severely hit, and a building was engulfed in flames, with the fire also filmed by residents of Tulcea, Romania.
Ukrainian drones also attacked Moscow on the night of July 19, marking the third consecutive night of attacks on the Russian capital.
Russian air defense units intercepted 13 drones heading towards Moscow in less than two hours, Mayor Sergey Sobyanin reported around 01:46 local time. No casualties or significant damage were reported.
According to Russian Telegram news channels, eyewitnesses stated that some of the drones were shot down near Zelenograd, a satellite city located 37 kilometers northwest of central Moscow.
The attacks on Moscow come after President Donald Trump reportedly gave the Kremlin 50 days to conclude a peace deal or face "severe tariffs" from Washington. Prior to the announcement, Trump allegedly asked whether Ukraine was capable of attacking Moscow during a phone call with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian president reportedly responded that such an attack would be possible if the U.S. provided the necessary weapons.
After the Financial Times reported the comments, Trump told the press that Zelenskyy should not target Moscow and that the U.S. does not plan to provide Ukraine with long-range missiles.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
