Ukrainian emergency services are dealing with the aftermath of two separate Russian attacks on the critical port city of Odesa within a single day, as international efforts to broker a peace deal continue. The strikes, which hit on Monday and the preceding night, targeted port facilities and energy infrastructure, plunging parts of the region into darkness.
Infrastructure Under Fire in Black Sea Port
Russian forces struck the Black Sea port of Odesa late on Monday, damaging port facilities and a ship, according to the regional governor, Oleh Kiper. He reported on Telegram that emergency crews were tackling the aftermath and that, so far, no casualties had been reported.
This assault came less than 24 hours after an earlier overnight attack, which hit port and energy infrastructure, causing a major fire and disrupting electricity supplies for tens of thousands of residents. Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba stated that Russia is attempting to disrupt maritime logistics through these systematic strikes on vital infrastructure.
Peace Talks and a High-Profile Assassination
Amid the ongoing violence, former US President Donald Trump offered a brief update on behind-the-scenes diplomatic efforts. Speaking from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, Trump said talks to end the war were going "OK" and that he would like to see the fighting stopped. This follows a weekend of discussions in Miami between US, Ukrainian, and European representatives, described by Trump's envoy as "productive and constructive".
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented that initial US proposals for a peace deal met many of Kyiv's demands, but acknowledged that neither side was likely to get everything it wanted. The Kremlin, however, downplayed the talks, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stating they should not be seen as a breakthrough but rather a "working process."
In a separate development in Moscow, Lt Gen Fanil Sarvarov, a senior Russian military official, was killed when an explosive device detonated under his car. Russian investigators described it as a likely assassination carried out by Ukrainian intelligence services, though Kyiv has not claimed responsibility.
Frontline Developments and Border Village Incident
On the ground, the Ukrainian army reported it is battling an attempted Russian breakthrough in the north-eastern region, where Moscow's forces have recently seized several border villages. In a concerning incident, President Zelenskyy confirmed that Russian troops had taken residents of the border village of Hrabovske, home to 52 people, away from their homes. "I think they simply didn't expect Russian troops to simply walk in and take them away as prisoners," Zelenskyy said.
As the conflict reaches day 1,399, the twin attacks on Odesa underscore the continued targeting of Ukraine's economic and energy lifelines, while fragile diplomatic channels attempt to find a path to an elusive peace.
