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What the Odesa strike on 31 January 2025 showed
Summary
A look back at a Russian ballistic missile attack on Odesa's centre and port, and the Sumy strike a day earlier.
What does an attack on a city's historic heart say about the war's reach into civilian life? On 31 January 2025, Russian forces launched ballistic missiles at the centre of Odesa and its port. Numerous civilian buildings were severely damaged, among them the historic Bristol Hotel. At least two people were reportedly injured.
The strike came one day after another attack on civilians, this time in the north-east. On 30 January 2025, a Russian drone hit a multi-storey apartment building in Sumy. Nine people were killed and 13 others injured.
Taken together, the two reports describe strikes on places where people live, work and travel: a residential block in Sumy, and the centre and port of Odesa. In Odesa, the damage to the Bristol Hotel was among the most visible results, alongside harm to many other civilian buildings.
The casualty figures in Odesa were reported as at least two injured, a number that was described as preliminary at the time. The Sumy toll was firmer: nine dead, 13 hurt.
