Russia Hit Ukraine With a Massive Overnight Attack — Here's What Happened
Russian forces launched a massive overnight attack across at least 11 parts of Ukraine on August 9, 2026. They used several types of missiles and more than 200 drones, which are unmanned flying weapons, focusing most of the assault on the Odesa region, according to Ukraine's air force. The attack killed at least three civilians and wounded dozens more.
In the Odesa region alone, missiles and drones hit 22 locations, and wreckage from destroyed missiles was found at six sites. At least eight people were injured in the city of Odesa, where homes and the port were damaged. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attacks on Odesa aimed at the region's energy supply.
The strikes also reached other areas. In Kharkiv, an attack on an apartment building killed two men, aged 50 and 66, and wounded at least 21 people, according to Kharkiv Governor Oleh Syniehubov. Russian artillery fire killed a 61-year-old woman in the Kherson region, the regional prosecutor's office said. An attack near a shopping mall in Pavlohrad wounded nine people, including four children, according to Zelenskyy. In Mykolaiv, strikes on the city and its port killed an 89-year-old woman and wounded seven others, ranging in age from 2 to 83. Russia also hit two oil refineries in the Sumy region.
Russian state media told a different version of events. Russia's TASS news agency said Russian forces attacked fuel and military equipment storage sites at Odesa's port. TASS also said Ukrainian drone attacks killed three civilians in Belgorod, a Russian city near the border.
So why does the focus on Odesa matter? Zelenskyy accused Russia of deliberately attacking global food security, because Odesa's port is a major hub for exporting grain to countries around the world. He made a similar point on July 31, 2026, saying that keeping grain exports flowing helps feed people globally. Ukraine's Presidential Office has said about one million tons of food was stored in ports that Russia has attacked.
Odesa's port has been hit repeatedly. Attacks there killed 28 people in the first three weeks of July 2026, according to Governor Oleh Kiper. Ukraine has tried to keep grain exports going through other shipping routes, moving 4 million tons of agricultural products in the first month of using an alternative corridor. Zelenskyy has stressed that Ukrainian ports help feed the world, not just Ukraine.
The bigger picture is about strategy. The attack used a mix of weapons designed to work together. Anti-radar missiles, which track and destroy the radar systems that air defenses rely on, were fired alongside antiship missiles and drones. That combination suggests Russia was trying to disable Ukraine's air defenses so it could more easily strike the port and nearby infrastructure. Since Odesa's port and energy systems are key to moving grain out of Ukraine, damaging them affects not just Ukraine but the countries that depend on its food exports.
