Russia Strikes Odesa with Drones; Worker Killed Near Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant

Russia launched overnight drone attacks on Odesa on April 27, striking residential buildings and a hotel, injuring at least 14 people including children. Separately, a drone strike killed a worker near the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), the first employee killed by a drone attack according to the plant's Russia-installed management. The IAEA's Director General Rafael Grossi warned that 'strikes on or near nuclear power plants can endanger nuclear safety and must not take place.' Russia claimed Ukraine attacked the plant; Ukraine denied targeting it. The ZNPP — Europe's largest nuclear plant — has been under Russian occupation since March 2022 and has suffered multiple incidents threatening nuclear safety. Russian forces also carried out 629 strikes across 45 Zaporizhzhia region settlements that day, damaging homes and civilian infrastructure.