site.btaLoud Explosions Heard in Odesa, City Under Ballistic Missile Attack

Loud explosions were heard in Odesa at 11:46 a.m. on Friday. The Ukrainian coastal city was attacked with ballistic missiles, local Telegram channels report.

Smoke rises over the city, the air raid alert was sounded at 11:15 am.

Odesa Mayor Gennady Trukhanov urged all Odessans to shelter in safe places. Search for the nearest shelter in the city on the interactive map listing the bomb shelters in the area, he said.

There are also reports of a reconnaissance drone that has not yet been destroyed. Repeated missile attacks are possible, authorities warn.

Local authorities are urging all residents of Odesa and the Odesa Province to remain sheltered.

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