site.btaExplosions Rock Odesa as City Targeted by Drones, Says Regional Military Administration Head

Loud explosions echoed across Odesa on Wednesday as the city was once again targeted by drones, Odesa Regional Military Administration Head Oleh Kiper said on the messaging app Telegram.

Five drones were reportedly launched from the Black Sea toward the city, local Telegram channels reported.

Regional authorities urged residents to take cover in bomb shelters. Air raid sirens were activated at 16:57 local time (and Bulgarian time).

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.