Hello and welcome to The Telegraph’s daily live blog on the war in Ukraine, with me, Abbie Cheeseman.
First thing this morning:
Russia launches ‘massive’ drone strike ahead of talks with Putin
Russia carried out a three-and-a-half-hour drone strike on the Danube port city of Izmail in the early hours of Monday, just hours before Russian President Vladimir Putin was due to meet with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to discuss the resurgence of the war. to discuss. Black Sea Grain Agreement.
The barrage of drones targeting the port damaged warehouses and production buildings, and the debris started fires at several civilian infrastructure sites, Ukrainian officials said. The “massive” drone strike came just a day after Russia hit Reni, another major port on the Danube.
About 17 drones were shot down, Odesa Governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram, but some hit their targets. There were no direct reports of casualties.
The two prime ministers will meet today in Russia’s Black Sea resort of Sochi as Turkey and the United Nations urge Moscow to revive the grain export deal that had eased a global food crisis. Russia has increasingly focused on port infrastructure since it pulled out of the deal in July. Erdogan is one of the few NATO leaders still in contact with Putin.
