Russian Drone Strikes Set Odesa Warehouses Ablaze While Romania Scrambles Jets

Russia launched the overnight attack with 172 drones from different directions, according to the Ukrainian report.
Romanian radar detected an aerial target moving 12 kilometers north of Kiliya, near the Romanian border. Authorities issued an alert to residents in northern Tulcea County and sent a RO-Alert message at 05:30; the alert ended at 06:14.
The warehouse strike followed an attack the previous day on an Odesa-region facility by a jet-powered UAV, which caused a fire and damaged tanker trucks.
An administrative building that had been attacked the previous day was struck again; a fire broke out on its upper floors but was quickly extinguished.
The ATB retail chain said its stores in Kherson had not completely shut down, stating that locations remained open where security conditions permitted and that individual closures were driven by risks to employees and customers.
Russian forces attacked Ukraine's Odesa region overnight on September 20-21, igniting fires at warehouse facilities and damaging multiple buildings across the area. Ukrinform reported that more than 80 rescuers responded to extinguish the blazes despite ongoing airstrikes, with no deaths or injuries reported. The attack marked the second consecutive strike on the same warehouse complex in just two days.
Russia launched 172 drones from multiple directions in the overnight assault, according to Kyiv Independent. Romania scrambled two F-16 fighter jets after its radar detected an aerial target near the border, though officials confirmed no violation of Romanian airspace occurred.
The Odesa warehouse, operated by a major retail chain, endured a second devastating attack within 24 hours. Mezha reported that the previous day's strike used a jet-powered drone that damaged tanker trucks and sparked a fire. The overnight assault set new fires across the same facility, forcing rescuers into action against the backdrop of continued Russian drone operations.
An administrative building also suffered repeated damage. MENAFN noted that the structure, struck the previous day, caught fire again on its upper floors during the overnight attack. Emergency crews quickly extinguished this blaze, preventing further destruction to the already-damaged building.
Beyond the warehouse fires, Russian drones damaged numerous other targets across Odesa region. Regional authorities reported strikes on residential buildings, a vehicle, a minibus, and a two-story educational facility. The breadth of the attack underscored Russia's strategy of targeting both military-related infrastructure and civilian facilities simultaneously.
The scale of the assault was massive. Ukrinform documented that 172 drones approached from different directions, forcing Ukrainian air defenses to respond across multiple fronts. The coordinated nature of the attack made civilian evacuation and rescue operations extremely dangerous for responders.
Romanian defense systems detected an aerial target traveling 12 kilometers north of Kiliya, a location very close to the Romanian border. Mezha reported that authorities issued an alert to residents in northern Tulcea County at 05:30, sending a RO-Alert message to phones across the region. The alert ended 44 minutes later at 06:14 with no confirmed airspace violation.
Romania's swift response—scrambling two F-16 fighter jets—demonstrated the heightened alert status of NATO members bordering Ukraine. Though no intrusion occurred, the incident highlighted how Russian drone operations routinely push toward NATO airspace, raising tensions with the alliance.
The ATB retail chain, whose warehouses were targeted, confirmed that operations continue where possible. MENAFN reported that the chain's stores in Kherson remained open in locations where security conditions allowed. The company emphasized that individual store closures reflected genuine risks to employees and customers, not widespread shutdowns.
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