During the night attack on the port infrastructure of the Odesa region, the Russians attacked the "Orlivka" ferry crossing, which leads to Romania. Drones damaged trucks and windows in administrative buildings.
Yuriy Dimchoglo, the founder of the "Orlivka" ferry complex, said this, Radio Svoboda reports.
"The civilian infrastructure of the checkpoint was damaged, a lot of civilian, international, trucks — about 30. Six of them burned completely. The warehouse was slightly damaged, but there was no direct hit. The main hits were in customs zones and accumulation zones of international transport for customs control, especially at the entrance to Ukraine," he said.
According to Dimchoglo, the administrative building of the checkpoint survived, but the shock wave broke the glass, 80% of the windows will have to be replaced.
10-15 minutes passed between the air alert and the attack. The border guards reacted quickly and removed public transport from the territory of the crossing point.
"There were two buses, one for entering Ukraine, one for leaving. The one who was away was with children. He was quickly processed, put on the Romanian ferry, which was already practically leaving the shore, at the beginning of the strikes. Thank God that there was no bus with children at the checkpoint. Because I donʼt know what would have happened," he says.
According to Dimchoglo, the second bus was issued in 10 minutes. During his departure, blows began, which cracked the glass in the bus. Only the drivers were injured.
Dimchoglo pointed out that the crossing is a "completely civilian object" without military personnel, except for border guards. At the same time, it is also the only border crossing point with a European Union country in the south of Ukraine.
- On the night of September 26, the Russians attacked Ukraine with 36 kamikaze drones; 26 were shot down by air defense. The port infrastructure of the Odesa region, a checkpoint building, warehouses, and three dozen trucks were damaged by the hits. Two drivers were injured.
- Romania is not the first to feel the consequences of the Russian invasion. Wreckage of Russian drones was found twice in Romania on the border with Odesa region — on September 4 and 13. Romania summoned the head of the Russian diplomatic mission and built shelters for civilians in the border area near Reni and Izmail, and on September 15, the Romanian general said that air defense would shoot down Russian drones if necessary.