Families in Odesa Face Relentless Drone Strikes Amid Ongoing War

Sat Jan 17 2026 19:02:50 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

As attacks ramp up in Odesa, families like Mariia, Serhii, and Eva navigate the fear and uncertainty of living in a city under siege, confronting frequent drone strikes that threaten their safety and livelihoods.

Odesa, Ukraine's third largest city, has been under heavy attack as Russia intensifies its campaign against the region. Families struggle with the constant fear of drone strikes, power outages, and the specter of having to flee once again. Residents are faced with the dual challenges of war and a harsh winter, leaving many anxious about their future.

From Mariia's 16th-floor flat, the calm waters of the Black Sea stretch out into the horizon beneath the fading twilight. Up here you can see and hear when the drones come, she says, standing by a wall-length, floor-to-ceiling window. When they hit buildings and homes in the city of Odesa down below, we see all the fires too.

Her daughter Eva, who is nine, has learned the shapes and sounds of the objects that zoom through the sky on a daily basis. She proudly shows off a list of social media channels she checks when the air raid alerts go off. She knows whether what's coming is a risk or a threat, and that calms her down, her father Serhii says.

There is scarcely a place in Ukraine that has not been targeted since Russia launched its full-scale invasion nearly four years ago. But in recent weeks, Odesa has come under sustained attack. Through strikes on port and energy infrastructure, Russia is trying to cripple the region's economy and dent the population's morale.

Moscow, however, does not just hit facilities. Its drones, most of them as big as a motorcycle, regularly crash into high-rise buildings like Masha's, exploding on impact and blowing glass and debris inward. The consequences are often deadly.

As the strikes surge, air sirens go off frequently, but not everyone heeds them. Standing in front of a destroyed gym the morning after an overnight drone strike that injured seven people, Maryna Averina of the State Emergency Service concedes people have become very careless about their own safety.

The result last year was a 45% decrease in exports of agricultural products, vital to Odesa's economy. Government officials warn that continual attacks may dissuade foreign investment and presence in the region.

While Russian propagandists have long insisted that Ukraine's independence since 1991 is a historical mistake, Odesa's past role as the jewel in the crown of the Russian empire means it still holds particularly strong symbolic importance for Moscow.

As the temperatures drop, the residents of Odesa cling to hope amid uncertainty, facing both the harsh realities of war and the bitter chill of winter.