US, Ukraine, and Russia Reach Truce on Black Sea Navigation Despite Ongoing Attacks
On Tuesday, the United States, Ukraine, and Russia agreed to a truce concerning safe navigation in the Black Sea and a temporary halt on attacks against energy facilities located in both Russian and Ukrainian territories. However, despite this diplomatic progress, multiple incidents continued to unfold overnight. Russian air defenses reportedly shot down nine Ukrainian drones across two regions of Russia and the Black Sea late on Tuesday, according to a report from the Russian Ministry of Defense on its Telegram channel.
The unmanned aircraft were intercepted over the Belgorod region, with five drones neutralized, and two more over the Kursk region, both of which border Ukraine. Additionally, two drones were downed over the waters of the Black Sea.
In a separate incident, Ukraine's military declared that Moscow had launched a total of 117 drones against Ukraine, including real and decoy units intended to mislead Ukrainian defensive systems. This information was confirmed by the Ukrainian Air Force in a report released on Wednesday.
Ukrainian air defenses successfully shot down 56 of these attack drones, which included Russian Shahid models, with losses occurring across several regions – the north, south, east, and central parts of Ukraine. The drone assaults resulted in damage in areas such as Sumy in the northeast and Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovograd, and Cherkasy in the center of the country. According to reports, an additional 48 drones, which did not have explosive payloads and were replicas of Shahed drones, fell harmlessly without causing damage.
In the Sumy region, the city of Ohtyrka suffered damage to homes, businesses, and public infrastructure due to the drone attacks. Communities in Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhia regions also came under fire during the night.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took to social media platform X to highlight the severity of these large-scale attacks, labeling them a clear indication that Moscow is not genuinely interested in pursuing peace. He emphasized that, "Every night with its attacks, Russia continues to say no to our partners' peace proposal."
In response to the ongoing military aggression, Zelensky called for more robust international measures against Russia, stressing the importance of sustained pressure and decisive action from the global community. He urged the United States to implement additional sanctions aimed at halting Russian attacks and ensuring the safety and sovereignty of Ukraine.
Related Sources: