Ukraine and Russia exchanged drone attacks against each other in the early hours today, shortly after the conclusion of the latest round of direct peace talks between delegations from Moscow and Kyiv to end the war.
While Ukrainian drones hit southern Russian Black Sea areas, killing one person, injuring another and hitting an oil storage depot, Russian drones hit Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa, triggering several fires in residential and other buildings.
This comes as Ukrainian prisoners of war began returning home after Russia and Ukraine ended a third round of peace talks in Istanbul after well under an hour without agreement on a ceasefire.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said afterwards that more sick and wounded prisoners were returning home. He did not say how many.
He has also promised to submit revised legislation in response to angry protests against restrictions on the authority of anti-corruption agencies.
Thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets of Kyiv, opposing the new law, which rolls back the autonomy of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office.
Moscow and Kyiv disagree on presidents meeting
The Ukrainian delegation at talks in Turkey has again stressed that Kyiv’s top priorities were a meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian presidents and a “real ceasefire”, ending all strikes on civilian infrastructure.
“We have progress on humanitarian track. There is no progress on cessation of hostilities or ceasefire,” the head of the Ukrainian delegation, Rustem Umerov, said after the talks ended.
Russian officials reiterated that a peace agreement needed to be finalised before the two leaders met.
As for a ceasefire, Moscow’s and Kyiv’s “positions are quite distant from each other,” said Vladimir Medinsky, head of Russia’s delegation, referring to the memorandums exchanged by both sides that set out conditions for a truce. “We have agreed to continue contact.”
Kremlin agrees to another PoW exchange, Russia says
Russia has agreed at the talks with Ukraine to exchange more prisoners of war and said it was ready to hand over 3,000 more bodies of dead soldiers, Moscow’s chief delegate told reporters.
Russia and Ukraine discussed further prisoner swaps yesterday at a brief session of peace talks in Istanbul, but the sides remained far apart on ceasefire terms and a possible meeting of their leaders.
“We have progress on the humanitarian track, with no progress on a cessation of hostilities,” Ukraine’s chief delegate Rustem Umerov said after talks that lasted just 40 minutes.
Sick and wounded Ukrainian PoWs return home
Ukraine has taken home a new group of prisoners of war from Russia, president Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
Mr Zelensky said those returning were ill or seriously wounded.
The latest prisoner swap brings to more than 1,000 the number of returning soldiers as agreed at talks in Turkey, he added.
“The servicemen who are returning today defended Ukraine in different sectors of the front,” Mr Zelensky wrote.
“A significant number spent more than three years as prisoners. All are receiving key support and medical assistance.”
Sochi airport shut after Ukraine drone attacks
Russia’s Rosaviatsia aviation authority said operations were suspended at Sochi airport for about four hours today.
The administrative head of the Sirius federal district, south of Sochi, said a drone hit an oil base, but gave no further details.
The airport shutdown comes after Ukrainian drones hit Russia’s Black Sea areas, killing one person, injuring another and hitting an oil storage depot.
Ukraine and Russia exchange drone attacks after peace talks end
Ukraine and Russia launched drone strikes against each other in the early hours today, officials from both sides said, within hours of the conclusion of the latest round of direct talks aimed at finding a solution after nearly three and half years of war.
Ukrainian drones hit southern Russian Black Sea areas, killing one person, injuring another and hitting an oil storage depot.
Russian forces staged the latest in a series of mass attacks on Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa, triggering several fires in residential and other buildings.
Emergency officials in Russia’s Krasnodar region on the Black Sea said on Telegram that debris from a falling drone struck and killed a woman in Adler district near the resort city of Sochi.
A second woman was being treated in hospital for serious injuries.
The administrative head of the Sirius federal district, south of Sochi, said a drone hit an oil base, but gave no further details.
