Rescuers have been searching for a day in the sea off the coast of Odesa Oblast for a girl who was swept away by the current

Rescuers from the State Emergency Service in the Odesa region are continuing the search for 10-year-old Sofia Potemkina, who was swept out to sea in the village of Sychavka.

This was reported to Intentu by the press service of the State Emergency Service in the Odesa region.

The National Police in the Odesa region have also opened a criminal investigation into the girl’s disappearance.

Preliminary investigations by law enforcement officials have established that the young girl, along with her great-grandmother, went into the sea to swim at an unauthorized beach—where recreation is prohibited—near one of the vacation resorts in the village of Sychavka, Pivdennivska Community. Due to a strong current, the child on an inflatable ring began to be swept out to deeper water. The great-grandmother tried to save the girl but was unable to do so.

Following the girl’s disappearance, investigators entered the information into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations under paragraph 2 of part 2 of Article 115 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, with the note “missing person.”

This is not the first case of a child going missing in the water in the Odesa region. For example, in January 2026, divers from the State Emergency Service resumed the search for Igor Andreyko, who went missing from a beach in Chornomorsk, Odesa Oblast, on July 28 during a storm that same year. The search was suspended several times due to various circumstances.

As of October 21, rescuers had searched 3,638.4 square meters of the seabed and 1,307 kilometers of coastline. They plan to resume the search as soon as the search for the fisherman is completed. Meanwhile, the police are also continuing to search for the young man.

On July 28, there was a storm in Chornomorsk, but people continued to swim. Ihor Andreyko went missing, and two people died on the beach that same day. Chornomorsk Mayor Vasyl Gulyayev stated at the time that rescuers pulled a total of 50 people out of the water that day, 10 of whom were children. 

 Rescuers began searching for the boyon July 29. Due to weather conditions—strong winds and large waves—it was impossible for the diving team to conduct search operations on July 28. Therefore, the search began in the morning. However, the boy’s body was not found.

Кирило Бойко