The Russia-Ukraine war, the largest armed conflict in Europe since WW2, enters its 740th day.
0334 GMT – Russian air defence systems destroyed all 38 drones that Ukraine launched at the Crimean Peninsula, Russia’s defence ministry said, after reports on Ukrainian and Russian social media of powerful explosions in the port of Feodosia.
The Russian defence ministry did not say whether there was any damage or casualties in its statement on the Telegram messaging app.
Road traffic near Feodosia was significantly restricted, Russian-installed officials in Crimea had said earlier. Traffic on the bridge linking the Crimean Peninsula to the Russian mainland was halted for couple hours before resuming at around 0140 GMT, Russian-installed officials in Crimea said on Telegram.
Russian and Ukrainian social media cited Feodosia residents as reporting powerful explosions were heard in the area of the seaport and an oil depot at about 2 a.m. local time on Sunday (2300 GMT on Saturday).
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2245 GMT – Moscow says Russia, China agree that Russia must be present in Ukraine talks
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin and China’s special representative for Eurasian affairs, Li Hui, said it is impossible to discuss a Ukraine settlement without Moscow’s participation, the Russian foreign ministry said.
The Chinese envoy met with Galuzin during his second trip to Europe promoting a political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis, a tour that will also include Poland, Ukraine and Germany.
“A very engaged and tho rough exchange of views took place on the topic of the Ukrainian crisis,” the Russian foreign ministry said in the statement posted on its website.
“It was stated that any discussion of a political and diplomatic settlement is impossible without the participation of Russia and taking into account its interests in the security sphere.”
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, calling it a “special military operation” to “denazify” its neighbour.
Kiev and its Western allies call the war, which two years later continues to kill civilians nearly on daily basis, an unprovoked land grab.
