Odesa introduces district alarms to improve security

A new alert system has been introduced in Odesa: alarms will now sound separately by district, responding only to specific threats. This will help protect residents more quickly and improve the security of the city and surrounding areas.

This was reported by the press service of the head of the Odesa City Military Administration.

Odesa has completed the preparatory stage of setting up an air hazard warning system. From now on, the alarm can be activated separately in each district, depending on the specific threat.

For example, if an unmanned aerial vehicle is detected heading to a certain area, the alarm will sound only for that area. At the same time, if the danger covers the entire territory of the region, the signal is activated simultaneously for all districts.

According to the press service, Odesa district unites 22 territorial communities:

• Urban: Odesa, Chornomorsk, Yuzhne, Teplodar, Bilyaivka;
• Rural: Avanhardivska, Dobroslavska, Ovidiopolska, Tairovska, Velykodolynska;
• Rural: Velykodalnytska, Vygodianska, Vyzyrska, Dalnytska, Dachnenska, Krasnosilska, Mayakivska, Nerubayska, Usativska, Fontanska, Yaskivska.

According to the administration, the new system will allow for a faster response to threats and improve the safety of residents of Odesa and the district.

In the first half of 2025, hundreds of air raids were recorded in Mykolaiv, Kherson, and Odesa regions. The highest number of alarms was recorded in Mykolaiv region - 441, in Kherson region - 425, and in Odesa region - 336. In terms of the total duration of alarms in days, the southern regions show slightly lower figures: 24 days in Mykolaiv region, 22 days in Kherson region, and 13 days in Odesa region.

In 2024, air raid sirens were activated 814 times in Odesa region. A total of 1828 alarms have been sounded since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, from February 24, 2022, to December 31, 2024.

Since the beginning of the invasion, Odesa region has been subjected to rocket and drone attacks by Russia, which have killed or injured many people. In the studio of Intent.Insight, Lieutenant Colonel of the National Guard Serhiy Sudets, founder of the Air Alert|Be Safe! channel, answered the main questions: how to behave during shelling and where to hide at home and on the street to protect yourself.

Анна Бальчінос