A hellish week for Odesa. Russia does not stop attacking peaceful cities

From March 3 to 8, 2025, Russian troops did not stop devastating attacks on peaceful cities in Ukraine, causing civilian deaths and large-scale destruction of infrastructure. The worst hit was Odessa — the city suffered almost daily from drone strikes and missiles. Oleksandr Gimanov, a local documentary filmmaker and member of the UAFF, did not sleep with the residents — every night and every morning he recorded the consequences of the next Russian strikes. Kharkiv was also under fire: photojournalist Georgy Ivanchenko documented the destruction of a civilian building and infrastructure after a Russian rocket hit “Iskander“.

Below is a short but far from complete list of Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities over the week and their consequences:

March 3:

• Odesa:As a result of enemy shelling, the energy infrastructure of the city was damaged. Part of Odessa was left without power supply due to emergency outages. The work of three district boiler houses was also stopped, which led to interruptions in the heat supply.

March 5:

• Kryvyi Rih:A Russian missile strike on a hotel in the city center killed two people and wounded 29, 20 of whom are in serious condition. Rescue work continued until late at night, 14 people were rescued from under the rubble.

March 7:

• Massive attack on energy infrastructure:Russia has carried out large-scale missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities, resulting in damage to critical infrastructure and power outages in several regions. At least 10 people were injured, including one child.

March 8:

• Dobropillia, Donetsk region:The Russian missile strike killed at least 11 people and wounded 33. Eight high-rise residential buildings, an administrative building and 30 cars were damaged.
  
  
• Kharkiv Oblast:As a result of a drone attack on a meat processing plant, three people were killed and seven were injured.

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March 3. Odesa without light and heat

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On March 3, at 21:31 in Odessa, the first explosion was heard, followed by several more. The Russian army attacked the region with strike drones. As a result of Russian shelling, the work of three district boiler houses of the city was stopped, said mayor of Odesa Trukhanov.

All relevant services worked to eliminate the consequences of the attack. Law enforcement officers record another crime of Russians against the civilian population of Odessa region. Four people were injured as a result of the Russian attack on the Odessa region, said the head of the OVA Kiper. Three residents of private homes received shrapnel wounds and limb fractures. Another person who was in a business center at the time of the attack received a contusion.

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As a result of the attack, fires broke out in several places. Repeated air alarms made it difficult to extinguish the fire. Also that night, Russian troops again attacked the DTEK energy facility in Odesa region. As of this morning, energy workers have healed critical infrastructure and restored light to seven thousand families.

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March 5: Destroyed office of “Nova Poshta” and death of civilian

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On the night of March 5, the Russian occupiers attacked the Odessa region with attack drones. As a result of enemy shelling, critical infrastructure of the region was damaged and the tragic death of a 77-year-old man was recorded.

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One of the goals of the Russians “Shahedive“— branch “Nova Poshta“in the suburbs of Odessa. As a result of the impact, the premises were completely destroyed, but, fortunately, there were no casualties among employees and visitors. The company said that a mobile customer service point is already operating at the site of the damaged branch.

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According to the information “Nova Poshta“, the Russian attack destroyed 606 parcels with a total declared value of more than 1 million hryvnias. The shipments burned in the fire, but the company assured that it would compensate all customers for the losses. “We will contact you shortly and let you know the details of the refund“— stated in the official statement.

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March 7. Massive attack on Ukrainian energy sector: attacks on Kharkov and Odessa

On the night of March 7, the Russian occupiers carried out a combined missile strike of various types of air, land and sea bases on critical infrastructure facilities, as well as drones. Tonight, the main focus of the strike is the objects of the gas production industry. About this reported Air Forces Command of the Armed Forces of the Armed Forces: “261 enemy air attack vehicles were detected and carried out: 67 missiles of various types and 194 attack UAVs and simulators of various types“.

Air defense forces shot down 34 missiles and 100 enemy UAVs. The attack was also repelled by French fighters.

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The occupiers attacked from the night with drones and missiles Kharkov.The Russian military fired on a civilian infrastructure object in the Kiev district of the city. About this reported the mayor of the city Igor Terekhov.

The Russians were attacked by a rocket. “Iskander“civil infrastructure object in Kyiv district of Kharkiv. There was a fire at the site of the collision, there were interruptions with the heat supply. In addition, a nearby apartment building was damaged, cars were occupied. At least eight people are known to have been injured.

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“A woman was taken from under the rubble of the building. She is alive, she is being examined by doctors. A total of five people were injured“— he wrote. At the scene of the attack there is a fire. An apartment building nearby was also damaged. All residents are evacuated from it.

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“In addition to the critical infrastructure building and the residential building, other objects were damaged. 10 garages and 5 cars are on fire“— he added.

Oleg Synegubov, the head of the OVA clarified, that a 65-year-old woman and a 61-year-old man were hospitalized in a medical institution.

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Also in the morning of March 7, the Russians launched a missile strike on the Odessa region. In the Podolsk region, as a result of the falling debris of one of the cruise missiles, a private one-story residential building caught fire. In addition, four houses were damaged. 

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In addition, that night, the aggressor country damaged the sixth DTEK power plant in the Odessa region.

“For the fourth night in a row, the enemy strikes at DTEK's energy facilities in the Odessa region. This is the sixth attack in the last 2.5 weeks“— it says in message.

Also that night, Russian missiles hit the Ternopil region. As a result of the blows occurred “Arrivals“in a critical industrial facility. People have been warned that there may be restrictions on gas supplies.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reacted to the enemy attack and once again stressed the need to stop the enemy.

“Last night, the Russian army carried out another massive attack against our energy. Various objects were hit in several regions — in Odesa region, Poltava region, Chernihiv region, Ternopil region. In total, the Russians have deployed nearly 70 cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as nearly two hundred strike drones. All this is against the infrastructure that ensures normal life“— he pointed out. According to the president, “The first step to establishing a real peace must be to force the only source of this war, that is, Russia, to stop such attacks on life.“.

“Ukraine is ready to walk the path to peace, and it is Ukraine that wants peace from the very first second of this war. The task is to force Russia to stop the war“— the president added.

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‍March 7 – the second attack on Odessa on the day

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In the evening of March 7, the Russian Federation again attacked Odessa with drones, striking civilian and energy infrastructure. According to the information prosecutor's office, were damaged and destroyed: a hangar with agricultural machinery, a four-story industrial building, a gas station premises, a car shop, a service station, a car dealership, as well as at least eight cars.

The air alert in the Odessa region was declared at 20:28. Around 21:35 there were explosions in Odessa. The Air Force reported that strike drones are moving in the direction of Odessa and Chernomorsk from the Black Sea waters.

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Nearly one and a half thousand local residents were left without light. The Odessa Regional Prosecutor's Office has launched a pre-trial investigation into the facts of war crimes. This is part 1 of Art. 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The air defense forces shot down 21 drones in Odesa region.

These events underscore the continued aggression by Russia and the need to intensify international pressure to end violence against the civilian population of Ukraine.

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Alexander Gimanov. Born and based in Odesa, the photographer works as a photojournalist for the regional online publication Dumskaya.net, documenting the life of his hometown. He collaborates with regional and national media, as well as international photo agencies. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, he has been documenting the consequences of Russian aggression in southern Ukraine. The photographer's Instagram.

Heorhii Ivanchenko. Ukrainian photographer who has been working as a freelance reporter in the field of documentary and journalistic photography since February 2022. From the first months of the invasion, he started shooting for the Associated Press and the European Pressphoto Agency. The photographer's Instagram.

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Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Vira Labych
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