Ukraine shot down 17 Russian UAVs that attacked Odessa province

Ukrainian officials announced that their air defenses shot down 17 Russian UAVs in a large-scale raid targeting the Danube riverside area in Odessa province.

"The enemy once again launched a large-scale attack in the southern region of Odessa province," the southern command of the Ukrainian army announced on September 4, adding that Russia used UAVs similar to the Shahed-136 model in the attack.

Ukrainian military and officials claimed that the country's air defenses shot down 17 Russian drones. However, some of the drones managed to get through the air defenses and hit their targets, damaging "several warehouses, production plants, and establishments for agricultural and industrial machinery."

Oleh Kiper, governor of Odessa, said local authorities recorded some damage in several residential areas in the Izmail district, which borders Romania, in the raid.

Ukrainian firefighters at the scene of an attack in Odessa on September 3. Photo: Reuters — Ukrainian firefighters at the scene of an attack in Odessa on September 3. Photo: *Reuters*

Ukraine on September 3 accused Russia of launching a suicide drone attack on the Danube port of Reni in Odessa province. The Russian Defense Ministry later announced that its forces used UAVs to attack and destroy fuel depots serving the Ukrainian army in Reni.

The raids came ahead of a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who Türkiye hopes will convince Russia to revive a grain deal and reestablish a safe shipping corridor across the Black Sea.

After Russia announced its withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Ukraine exported about a quarter of its grain through Danube river ports, including Izmail. The Ukrainian grain was then shipped by barge to the Romanian port of Constanta and then on to other destinations.

The Ukrainian Navy is operating a safe passage in the Black Sea for ships to and from the ports of Chernomorsk, Odessa and Yuzhny. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on September 3 that four cargo ships had safely passed through the passage.

However, Ukraine warned that cargo ships passing through the corridor still face the risk of being attacked or hit by mines, and announced that it would only support ships whose operators fully understand and accept the risks.