"The Ground Was Shaking": Czech Man Describes Hell in Odesa After Russia's Massive Strike

Overnight on Sunday, Odesa endured one of the most massive missile strikes of the entire war — missiles and drones slammed into residential buildings, damaging historic structures in the city centre as well as one of its hotels. According to Bukovsky, a Czech national living in Odesa, at least ten people were injured in the blasts, and ballistic missile attacks resumed later that day, hitting the city again in the early afternoon.

"It all started around three in the morning, things calmed down only by nine, and then the shelling picked up again after lunch," Bukovsky told journalists, speaking directly from the Ukrainian port city. He said some of the explosions were so powerful that the ground shook and windows rattled from the blast waves. The shockwaves and heat destroyed dozens of parked cars, some of which burned out completely. The total scale of the damage has yet to be calculated.

Infrastructure and roads hit hard

The main targets of the massive bombardment were critical infrastructure facilities and electrical substations across the city. As a result, large parts of Odesa were left without power and running water for much of Sunday. "People in cities have unfortunately grown used to power and water outages by now — they're prepared for it," the eyewitness noted.

The strike also severely disrupted transport links: a key bridge in the village of Mayaky, on the road leading to the border with Moldova, was damaged. Bukovsky said the route was temporarily closed, causing long traffic jams at the approaches, though authorities plan to restore movement later in the day.

Why Odesa is a strategic target

Odesa is a major Ukrainian port city on the Black Sea coast and one of the region's most historically and culturally significant centres. Before Russia's full-scale invasion, it was home to roughly a million people.

Today the city holds crucial economic and strategic importance: it serves as Ukraine's main maritime gateway for exporting grain and other agricultural produce to world markets. Odesa's ports are vital not only to Ukraine's economy but to global food security as well. Furthermore, holding on to Odesa prevents Russia from cutting Ukraine off from the Black Sea entirely and establishing a land corridor to Transnistria.

Source: novinky.cz