Odesa Under Siege: Drone Attacks, Corruption Scandals and More

Intensification of Russian shelling

Law enforcement officers have launched an investigation into the commission of war crimes by the Russian Federation due to the attack on the territory of Odesa region by drones on the night of February 1. The Russian armed forces attacked the Odesa region with drones, preliminarily of the Shahed-136 type. At least five private residential buildings, outbuildings and a gas pipeline were damaged in Odesa district. A 77-year-old resident and a 9-year-old girl suffered acute stress reactions.

Photo: Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office

The night before, on January 31, in the evening, the Russian armed forces attacked Odesa with ballistic missiles, presumably of the Iskander type. In the central part of the city, the building of the Bristol Hotel was destroyed, windows were smashed and facades in nearby buildings and premises were damaged.

On January 31, Mohammed Zakaria, head of the surgical department of the city hospital in Chornomorsk, did not stop the operation when the Russian attack on the city began. The blast wave shattered the glass in the operating room, and the surgeon himself was injured. However, after a difficult night, Mohammed Akhmetovich returned to work in the morning and continues to save lives.

Prior to that, Russian troops continuously terrorized the Odesa region with attack drones for the fourth night in a row. On the night of January 31, four people were injured in a strike. Two of them were hospitalized at the Black Sea Hospital, where they received the necessary medical care. Among the injured was a surgeon who was injured by glass shards during surgery.

The hostile strike caused problems with electricity supply to parts of Chornomorsk and the suburbs. DTEK specialists are already working to restore electricity to homes.

At dawn on January 30, the occupiers attacked Izmail district of Odesa region with attack drones. There were no casualties, but there was destruction.

On the night of January 29, Russian troops also attacked the Izmail district of Odesa region using UAVs.

On January 28, Russians attacked Odesa with kamikaze drones. Three people were injured in the attack, and another person was rescued from a blocked apartment. The blast wave shattered windows in many buildings. City services worked all day to eliminate the consequences of the attack. An operational headquarters was set up in the city. However, the enemy attacked not only with drones, but also with a missile. Ukrainian air defense destroyed the missile, but the wreckage of the downed drones damaged four residential high-rises and five country houses.

Odesa journalist's son hospitalized after meeting with TCC

Odesa-based journalist and writer Victoria Koltunova claimed that soldiers from one of the territorial centers for recruitment and social support grabbed her son on the street of Odesa, took him out of town and severely beat him, demanding money.

Victoria Koltunova. Photo: Facebook

The man had three broken ribs, a punctured lung, hemorrhage in the lungs, a bruised spleen and a concussion. He underwent an operation, but was unsuccessfully scheduled for another on Monday. The attackers were from the TCC, she told the police. She also noted that the soldiers were not representatives of any TCC from Odesa, but came from the Bolhrad district. The police have not yet commented on the situation.

The Odesa Regional Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support has created a special commission to conduct an internal investigation into the statement of writer and journalist Victoria Koltunova about the beating of her son by the staff of the TCC.

More oil from Russian tankers on the Odesa coast

In Odesa region, utilities have begun work to clean the coast from oil pollution.

Photo: press center of the Liman community

Utility workers are cleaning up contaminated areas of the Black Sea sandbar along a part of the Dzhantshei estuary and Lake Sasyk. After collection, the contaminated sand will be transferred to a specialized institution for further processing and environmental restoration.

Earlier, the Commission on Technogenic and Environmental Safety and Emergencies at the Odesa Regional State Administration held an extraordinary meeting, the main issue of which was the prevention of an environmental disaster in the Black Sea.

Local authorities are to monitor the state of the water area and, if pollution is detected, take initial measures to eliminate the consequences of coastal pollution by oil and fuel oil. The Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority, in turn, must provide information to the Regional Commission on Technogenic and Environmental Safety and Emergency of the Odesa Regional State Administration on the availability of oil skimmers, biosorbents and booms necessary to localize and eliminate oil pollution of the marine environment, ensure its localization and elimination in the event of pollution entering the port area, and calculate the required amount of biosorbents and booms to prevent coastal pollution.

Fake summonses, certificates and other corruption scandals

In Odesa region, two women were exposed for making fake maritime documents and arranging for clients to join the crews of ships sailing to foreign ports. This scheme allowed men of conscription age to travel freely outside Ukraine.

Photo: National Police in Odesa region

According to the investigation, one of the suspects used to work for a crewing company that employs sailors. Using her knowledge and connections, she developed a scheme to produce forged documents that allowed her to travel abroad allegedly to work in the maritime industry.

In Odesa region, police detained a former employee of a state-owned enterprise suspected of systematically extorting bribes from businessmen for the use of non-residential premises. The premises were on the balance sheet of the institution he managed, and the offender did not want to enter into formal contracts with entrepreneurs who approached him about possible lease of premises, but instead forced them to pay kickbacks, claiming that he had the necessary corruption ties and influence on senior management, which, in case of failure, would not prevent the illegal use of state property and would not inform law enforcement agencies. The law enforcement documented two such deals: the dealer leased business premises to two entrepreneurs, demanding that they pay him monthly fees of UAH 12,000 and UAH 5,000.

The police detained an employee of the district territorial center for manning and social support in Odesa region on suspicion of bribery. The military officer wanted $1,000 for the document, and later raised the price by another 2,000 hryvnias. With the expiration of the document, the offender promised to issue new ones for a similar fee.

He received the full amount of the bribe and handed over the summons to the client, and part of the money received by the serviceman in an illegal way, his cell phone, the summons issued for the client, and other items of interest to the investigation were seized. The court imposed on the suspect a custodial measure of restraint with the right to be released on bail in the amount of UAH 242,240.

Preparing a series of terrorist attacks

The SBU and the National Police exposed an agent group of Russian special services that was preparing a series of terrorist attacks in Odesa region. The criminals were detained while preparing an explosion near one of the district police stations. They planned to set fire to police cars and, when law enforcement officers arrived, to remotely detonate an explosive device disguised as a fire extinguisher.

Photo: Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office

It has been established that the detainees acted on the instructions of Russian special services, which promised them $2,500 for committing the terrorist attack. One of the suspects manufactured an explosive device under the remote guidance of a Russian agent. The other three planted explosives near the victim's house, set his car on fire, and when the man went outside, an explosion occurred.

After the attack, the perpetrators contacted the "customer" who was watching everything in real time. He confirmed the completion of the task and transferred them 1 thousand dollars.

Law enforcement officers detained the group the next day, preventing new attacks. According to the investigation, the attackers were three drug addicts aged 23 to 45, as well as their 46-year-old accomplice, who had previously served time for theft and robbery.