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Russia carried out a three-and-a-half-hour drone assault on the Danube River port of Izmail in the early hours of Monday, just hours before Russian President Vladimir Putin was due to meet Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to discuss the revival of the Black Sea grain deal.
The barrage of drones targeting the port damaged warehouses and production buildings, and the debris caused fires at several civilian infrastructure sites, Ukrainian officials said. The “massive” drone attack came just a day after Russia hit Reni, another major port on the Danube.
Around 17 drones were shot down, Odesa’s governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram, but some hit their targets. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
The two premiers are set to sit down today in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi as Turkey and the United Nations push for Moscow to revive the grain export deal that had eased a global food crisis. Russia has increasingly targeted port infrastructure since it pulled out of the deal in July. Erdogan is one of just a few NATO leaders who still maintains contact with Putin.