Ukrainian married couple aged 75 killed in Russian attack on Odesa | Russia-Ukraine war News
Russian Attacks on Odesa Claim Lives and Damage Infrastructure
By Reuters and The Associated Press
Published April 24, 2026
Odesa, Ukraine — A Russian assault on Odesa resulted in the deaths of two elderly residents and extensive damage to residential buildings and a foreign merchant ship, Ukrainian officials reported.
According to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, the attacks occurred overnight, injuring at least 13 individuals. Among the deceased were a 75-year-old married couple, while an additional person sustained injuries.
Serhiy Lysak, head of the local military administration, shared images depicting a building engulfed in flames and another severely impacted, as emergency services worked to address the aftermath. “Municipal services have been working at the sites of the hits since night,” Lysak stated.
Ukrainian authorities reported that two Russian drones struck a bulk carrier as it navigated a maritime corridor toward a Black Sea port near Odesa. This attack sparked a fire, which was subsequently extinguished by the crew of the Saint Kitts and Nevis-flagged vessel; no injuries were reported in that incident.
Overnight, Russia reportedly launched two ballistic missiles and 107 drones at various targets in Ukraine. The Ukrainian Air Force indicated that its air defenses intercepted or jammed 96 of the drones, while 10 drones and two ballistic missiles successfully hit their targets. Conversely, Russian military sources claimed their defenses downed 10 Ukrainian drones during the same period.
These attacks coincided with the European Union’s imposition of new sanctions targeting Russia’s energy, banking, and trade sectors, part of a continued effort to clamp down on Moscow’s operations. In a statement from Russia’s mission to the EU, the measures were criticized as lacking legitimacy and violating the rights of third countries.
In addition to sanctions, the EU approved a €90 billion ($106 billion) wartime loan for Ukraine aimed at covering approximately two-thirds of the country’s funding needs for 2026 and 2027 as the conflict enters its fifth year.
