Russia Strikes Odesa and Poltava With Shahed Drones, Targeting Civilian and Energy Infrastructure

Fires broke out in Ukraine’s Odesa and Poltava regions following Russian drone strikes overnight, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service reported on March 28.

Russian drone strikes hit Ukraine’s Odesa and Poltava regions overnight, igniting fires and damaging civilian infrastructure, Ukrainian emergency authorities said on March 28.

In Odesa, garages, outbuildings, and private homes were damaged during the attack. One person was injured, according to the State Emergency Service. Emergency crews deployed 27 firefighters, five firefighting units, and support from the National Guard to extinguish the fires.

In Poltava, Russia launched a large-scale UAV strike on industrial zones, damaging civilian and energy infrastructure at six sites. Fires broke out at warehouses, an administrative building, and a transformer facility, officials said. The deputy head of the Poltava Regional Military Administration, Volodymyr Kohut, stated that some drones were intercepted, but debris caused additional destruction.

“As a result of the attack, fires broke out with a total area of 2,500 square meters. As of 4:00 am, the fires had been fully extinguished. Fortunately, there were no casualties,” Kohut said in a post on Telegram.

The State Emergency Service deployed 90 personnel and 19 units of equipment to contain the fires in Poltava.

“The Russian aggressor cynically continues to lie about his aspirations for peace, and continues to deliberately attack civilian objects, endangering the civilian population,” stated the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in response to the Poltava attack.

Air raid alerts were issued in Kyiv and other regions during the night due to the threat of continued drone activity. Despite prior agreements, Russia has continued to target Ukraine’s energy sector. At least two strikes have been recorded in the past 24 hours.

The head of the Center for Countering Disinformation, Andriy Kovalenko cliamed on his Telegram channel that the Russian leader is intentionally undermining Donald Trump, escalating attacks on energy infrastructure while issuing increasingly extreme demands.

Russian state media reportedly mocks Trump’s team and refers to the US president as both an “enemy” and a “talker.”

According to the statement, lifting sanctions on Russia would primarily serve to fund its military campaign. Kovalenko also noted that “Russia is attacking with Shaheeds every day and is going to increase this number of attacks in the coming months.” The broader goal, he asserted, is to “discredit the US on a global level.”

Earlier, on the night of March 27, Vladimir Putin, during a meeting with the crew of the nuclear-powered submarine Arkhangelsk, suggested introducing temporary administration in Ukraine under the auspices of the United Nations and select countries to enable democratic elections.