Ukraine, Russia launch drone strikes after latest round of peace talks

Russian overnight attack on the southern region of Odesa hit sea ports and transport connections, Ukrainian deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said on the Telegram messenger on Thursday.

"Last night, Russia struck civilian infrastructure in the Odesa region - seaports, transport hubs, and residential areas," he said.

According to an earlier report, Ukraine and Russia launched drone strikes against each other early on Thursday, officials from both sides said, within hours of the conclusion of the latest round of direct talks aimed at finding a solution after nearly three and half years of war.

Ukrainian drones hit southern Russian Black Sea areas, killing one person, injuring another and hitting an oil storage depot.

Russian forces staged the latest in a series of mass attacks on Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odesa, triggering several fires in residential and other buildings.

Firefighters work at the site of an apartment building damaged during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine, on Thursday. Reuters

Emergency officials in Russia's Krasnodar region on the Black Sea said on the Telegram messaging app that debris from a falling drone struck and killed a woman in Adler district near the resort city of Sochi.

A second woman was being treated in hospital for serious injuries.
The administrative head of the Sirius federal district, south of Sochi, said a drone hit an oil base, but gave no further details.

Russia's Rosaviatsia aviation authority said operations were suspended at Sochi airport for about four hours.
In Odesa, Regional Governor Oleh Kiper said two floors of a multi-storey apartment building had been set ablaze. Other fires broke out on the roof of a two-storey residence, in kiosks and at a petrol station.

The city's historic centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was also hit, he said.

Kiper said details on casualties were being compiled.

A resident sits at the site of the Russian drone strike in Odesa, Ukraine, on Tuesday. Reuters

Reuters could not independently confirm accounts from either side.

Negotiators from the two sides had earlier discussed further prisoner swaps at a brief session of peace talks in the Turkish city of Istanbul, but the sides remained far apart on ceasefire terms and a possible meeting of their leaders.

Ukraine's military has frequently launched drone attacks on Russian targets often far from the war's front line, particularly on sites linked with energy.

Russian forces have in recent weeks intensified drone attacks on Ukrainian towns and cities.

Reuters