Ukrainian Drone Strike Damages Facilities At Russian Black Sea Port Ahead Of Peace Talks

A Ukrainian drone strike caused fires at the Russian Black Sea port of Taman on Sunday, injuring two people and damaging oil-related infrastructure, according to regional authorities.

The incident occurred days before a new round of United States-brokered talks aimed at ending the nearly four-year war.

Veniamin Kondratyev, Governor of Russia’s Krasnodar region, reported that the attack damaged an oil storage tank, a warehouse and port terminals.

He stated that more than 100 personnel were involved in efforts to extinguish several fires at the site. He also said strikes hit the resort city of Sochi and the village of Yurovka, causing less significant damage.

The port of Taman, located in the Krasnodar region along the Black Sea, serves as a key export point for Russian energy products.

At the same time, Ukrainian officials said falling debris from Russian drones damaged civilian and transport infrastructure in the Odesa region. The damage led to disruptions in electricity and water supplies.

Ukraine has been carrying out long-range drone operations targeting Russian energy facilities, with the aim of limiting oil export revenues that support Moscow’s full-scale invasion.

Russian forces have continued strikes on Ukraine’s power infrastructure. Ukrainian officials have previously indicated that such attacks are intended to restrict civilians’ access to heating, electricity and running water during winter.

The latest strikes came ahead of another round of United States-mediated discussions between Russian and Ukrainian envoys scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday in Geneva.

Previous rounds of talks under the same format were held in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates but did not resolve key issues, including the future of Ukraine’s Donbas region, much of which remains under Russian control.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that questions remained regarding future security guarantees for Ukraine.

He also raised concerns about how a proposed free trade zone suggested by the United States would function in the Donbas region, which Russia maintains Kyiv must relinquish as part of any peace settlement.

He said the United States was seeking to conclude agreements quickly, while Ukraine wanted security guarantees to be agreed first.

U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, also expressed concern about the need for firm security guarantees to prevent renewed conflict.

References: AP News, cbsnews

Source: Maritime Shipping News