site.btaOdesa under Missile Attack, Local Authorities Say

The Ukrainian city and region of Odesa have been hit by ballistic missiles from Crimea, Odesa Mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov said on Telegram. Local authorities advised people to take shelter.

An air raid alert was issued at 7.01 p.m. Three minutes later, explosions were heard in Odesa and Chernomorsk. According to preliminary reports on local Telegram channels, a target was hit in the Odesa region.

Odesa region is home to the third largest community of expatriate Bulgarians, numbering more than 150,000 people, according to the official 2001 census in Ukraine. Between 50,000 and 60,000 Bulgarians live in the regional capital, Odesa. Bulgarians in the region are concentrated in the districts of Bolhrad, Izmail, and Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi.