Explosions rocked several regions of Ukraine overnight into December 31, with the heaviest concentration of reports coming from Odessa. Around 1:00 a.m. Moscow time, residents heard a series of powerful blasts, followed by outbreaks of fire in the city.

Local online outlets reported that the strikes carried out by the Russian Armed Forces triggered serious disruptions to electricity, heating, and water supplies in Odessa. Ukraine’s energy holding DTEK later confirmed that two energy infrastructure facilities in the Odessa region had sustained significant damage during the night. According to the company, restoration work is expected to take time.

Odessa has repeatedly found itself under aerial attack. Just a day earlier, the city was hit by Russian drones approaching mainly from the Black Sea. Such strikes typically target energy facilities and port infrastructure, and in recent weeks the Russian military has also carried out attacks on key bridges.

Air raid alerts on December 31 were not limited to Odessa. Warning sirens were activated across a wide swath of the country, including the Kiev, Kharkov, Poltava, Dnepropetrovsk, Zhitomir, Chernigov, Sumy, and Nikolaev regions. Reports of explosions were also received from Kiev.

The Russian Ministry of Defense has repeatedly stated that these strikes are conducted in response to attacks by Ukrainian forces on Russian territory. Russian officials have emphasized that their military does not target residential areas or social infrastructure, drawing a distinction between their operations and those carried out by Ukrainian forces.