Larisa Kozova13:59, 09.08.26

The analyst emphasized that a very difficult winter is expected in Odessa.

Odessa and the Odessa region suffered the most massive attack during the entire period of the full-scale invasion on the night of August 9. This was stated by military-political observer Oleksandr Kovalenko.

He noted that there is currently no official data on the number and types of weapons used by Russia specifically in the region, and the information from monitoring channels differs significantly. At the same time, according to him, even the available data indicate an unprecedented scale of attacks on Odessa and the region over the past four years.

According to various monitoring channels, Russian forces could have used from 70 to 90 Shahed-136/Shahed-238 attack drones that night. The number of downed drones is currently unknown, Kovalenko noted. It was also reported that from 5 to 7 9M723 missiles, from 2 to 11 3M55 Onyx missiles, five Banderol missiles, all of which, according to these data, were shot down, and one Kh-31P missile were used.

The main strikes were concentrated in Odessa and its suburbs, Chornomorsk, and the area of ​​the Mayaki settlement.

Problems with Odessa’s air defense

The columnist emphasized that since 2022 he has repeatedly spoken about the need to strengthen the air defense of Odessa, which is one of the key maritime logistics hubs of Ukraine.

According to him, the main feature of the city’s defense is the need to take into account the threat from the Black Sea. At the same time, over four years of full-scale war, Kovalenko claims, he has not seen any fundamental changes in solving the main problems of countering missile strikes.

Kovalenko believes that Russia may try to make massive attacks on Odessa systematic as the enemy studies Ukrainian vulnerabilities. In his opinion, the city could be among the main targets along with Kyiv, with less intense attacks taking place between large-scale strikes.

“A vicious circle of passivity”

Separately, Kovalenko criticized the lack, in his opinion, of medium-term planning and proper communication between local and central authorities regarding strengthening Odessa’s air defense.

He said that several years ago he had the opportunity to talk with military attaches and ambassadors of other states in Ukraine about providing Odessa with additional air defense equipment. According to him, representatives of diplomatic institutions explained that they could not consider such requests without an official appeal from Kyiv.

At the same time, as Kovalenko noted, the central government receives requests from the city, while the city government does not make such requests. He called this “a vicious circle of passivity and inaction in the fifth year of the war.”

According to the columnist, despite the strategic importance of Odessa as a maritime logistics hub, the city has not yet received due attention from either local or central authorities.

A difficult autumn-winter period lies ahead

Kovalenko also called for preparation for a difficult autumn-winter period. He does not expect a significant improvement in the situation in the near future.

“The winter of 2025-2026 will seem like a vacation on the Cote d’Azur, compared to what awaits us in 2026-2027 with such trends,” he said.

The Russian attack on Odessa – what is known

As UNIAN reported, on the night of August 9, Russia launched a massive attack on Odessa with drones and missiles . As a result of the strikes, a large part of the regional center is without electricity and water. At least 8 civilians were injured.

According to the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, from 18:00 on Saturday, August 8, the enemy attacked the Odessa region with ballistic, anti-ship and anti-radar missiles: “Iskander-M / S-400”, “Onyx”, Kh-31P. The missiles were launched from the territory of temporarily occupied Crimea and from the Black Sea. Dozens of drones were also launched over the region.

(C)UNIAN 2026