'Past year was hardest': Odesa residents describe fourth year of war amid blackout

Record ID: 2343880

  • Title: 'Past year was hardest': Odesa residents describe fourth year of war amid blackout
  • Date: 23rd February 2026
  • Summary: PEOPLE INSIDE TENT (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) LOCAL RESIDENT, IRYNA (NO SURNAME GIVEN), SAYING: "Of course we are all waiting for the war to end, period. We are not waiting for anything else. We are waiting for the war to end as soon as possible, for peace." PEOPLE SITTING INSIDE TENT EXTENSION CORD WITH GADGETS (SOUNDBITE) (Russian/Ukrainian) LOCAL RESIDENT, IRYNA (NO SURNAME
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: Putin Russia-Ukraine war Russian invasion Trump Zelenskiy peace talks
  • Location: ODESA, UKRAINE
  • City: ODESA, UKRAINE
  • Country: Ukraine
  • Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Europe,Military Conflicts
  • Reuters ID: LVA003778923022026RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Odesa residents said the fourth year of Russia's full‑scale invasion has been the hardest yet, as frequent Russian strikes on the city’s energy system trigger rolling blackouts that disrupt their everyday lives.
    Large and small generators rumbled outside cafes and shops in the city centre, people visit humanitarian aid tents to warm up and charge phones.
    Before the war, Odesa was a key Ukrainian tourist hub, and its wider region is home to three major Black Sea ports.
    Around 18,000 consumers remained without power after a recent Russian attack, Ukrainian energy company DTEK said on Monday (February 23).
    The U.S. has been trying to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, but progress has proved elusive. Their most recent talks, in Geneva on February 17 and 18, did not produce a breakthrough.
    Another round of talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine could be held at the end of this week, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's chief of staff told Ukrainian media on Monday.
    (Production: Daria Smetanko)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2026. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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