Russia and Ukraine Trade Heavy Drone Barrages as Talks Stall
Russia and Ukraine exchanged fresh waves of drone attacks overnight into Tuesday, with Moscow claiming more than 200 Ukrainian drones downed and Kyiv reporting dozens of Russian strike drones. Russia said it had again hit cargo vessels at Ukraine’s Chornomorsk port, which it alleged were carrying military supplies. No date has been set for the peace talks Kyiv has been pressing for.
Russia’s defence ministry said its air defences destroyed 209 Ukrainian drones across at least ten regions including the Moscow area, while Ukraine said 46 of 58 incoming Russian drones were downed. Moscow again claimed strikes on Chornomorsk, the deep-water Odesa-region port central to Ukraine’s grain trade, where the top exporter Kernel has frozen operations after some of the war’s heaviest attacks on its assets. With both sides now routinely striking each other’s ports and shipping, the maritime dimension of the war is hardening even as a negotiated pause stays out of reach. Watch for any movement towards the indirect contacts floated for the region.