Odesa Endured the Most Massive Strike of the Entire War — The City's Air Defense Has Long Needed Reinforcement

Odessa and the oblast region overnight into 9 experienced the most massive rocket-and-drone strike in more than four years of full-scale war. As a result of the attack, the historic part of the city was damaged, fires broke out and houses were damaged. The unprecedented scale of the raid was described by military-political analyst Alexander Kovalenko from the Information Resistance group. According to his assessment, without systemic strengthening of air defense the city risks becoming a permanent target, as Kyiv has already become.

Kovalenko stated that there is no official confirmation yet regarding the means used by the Russians, and data from monitoring channels contradict each other. According to the analyst, even in this information chaos one thing is obvious.

"Even in this confusion it is clear that this was the most massive strike on the city and region in the last four and more years," wrote Alexander Kovalenko.

According to data from monitoring channels, the occupiers used from 70 to 90 kamikaze drones of the Shahed-type and Shahed-136 and Shahed-238, the number of killed among them is unknown. Also recorded were from 5 to 7 missiles 9M723, from 2 to 11 missiles 3M55 "Oniks", five missiles of "Banderol" — all five were shot down — and one X-31P missile. The strikes concentrated on Odessa and the suburbs, Chernomorsk, as well as the Mayak district.

Problem with the defense of Odessa

Kovalenko added that since 2022 year he repeatedly wrote about the importance of strengthening Odessa’s air defense as the country’s main maritime logistics hub. In his words, the key regional specific is the Black Sea, which requires separate solutions depending on the enemy’s capabilities.

"I have not seen radical changes in solving the basic challenges, not situational ones, over the past four years in the city. By basic I mean countering missile strikes, while kamikaze drones are a situational threat," wrote Alexander Kovalenko.

The analyst expressed concern that an enemy that carefully studies the weaknesses of Ukrainian defense may turn similar strikes into a systemic pattern and turn Odessa into a zone of constant attacks, similar to Kyiv, with periodic limited raids between major blows.

Why requests for strengthening the PVO do not reach partners

According to Kovalenko, a few years ago he had the opportunity to speak with military attaches and ambassadors of other countries in Ukraine about providing Odessa with appropriate air defense means. It was a long tour of the embassies and informal meetings.

"Everywhere there was only one excuse — we cannot even begin to consider your request without an official request from Kyiv. And Kyiv receives requests from the city itself. And the city does not make such requests," Kovalenko said.

The analyst called this a closed loop of passivity in the fifth year of the war and added that the lack of mid-term planning and the regional and city authorities’ communication with the diaspora leads to consequences the city observes today. According to him, Odessa — Ukraine’s most important sea logistics hub — remains not the southern Pompeii, but the southern fringe in terms of governmental attention.

Kovalenko warned that preparations should be made for a difficult autumn-winter period, and does not expect the situation to improve in the near future. He estimates that the winter 2025-2026 years will seem like a vacation by the coast compared to what the region will face in the 2026-2027 years under current trends.

As Informator wrote, the massive combined attack 9 in August covered Odessa region with dozens of drones and missiles, and monitoring channels published a map of missile trajectories over the region. President Zelenskiy also named the number of missile and drone strikes over the past week, stressing that Russia continues to rely on ballistic terror against civil infrastructure.