site.btaUPDATED Odesa Attacked with Drones, Explosions Heard in City, Military Administration Head Says

Odesa has been attacked with drones launched from the Black Sea, and explosions were heard in the city, the head of the Odesa City Military Administration, Serhiy Lisak, said on his Telegram channel.

Nearly 20 drones are approaching from the sea and moving toward all parts of the city, local Telegram channels reported.

An air-raid alert was declared at 12:08 a.m. Regional authorities urged residents to take shelter in bomb shelters.

Following the massive attack on the Ukrainian Black Sea city, a strike caused a fire to break out in one of the apartment buildings in the Prymorskyi district, according to local Telegram channels. The fire also spread to parked cars.

A 35-year-old man was killed and two people were injured in a massive Russian attack on the Ukrainian city of Odesa, Oleh Kiper, head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, said on his Telegram channel.

On the night of February 8-9, "the Russians launched a massive drone attack on Odessa and the region," Kiper said in his post.

"Unfortunately, a 35-year-old man was killed and two others were injured. Condolences to the family of the deceased and a speedy recovery to the injured," he added. According to his information, damage was caused to a gas pipeline and an apartment building, as well as to the facades of residential buildings.

All relevant services are working on site to eliminate the consequences of the strike.

Bulgarians in the Odesa region number more than 150,000 and were the third largest population group in Ukraine in 2001, according to the official census. About 50,000-60,000 Bulgarians live in the city of Odesa itself. The largest compact Bulgarian population is concentrated in the Bolhrad, Izmail and Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi districts.