(New: more details)
Kiev/Moscow (dpa -AFX) – Before possible new negotiations on ceasefire, Ukraine attacked Moscow with a previously unprecedented number of drones in response to the Russian attack war. The Russian capital’s air defense was used all night to Sunday and during the day against the flight objects. After a military meeting, the Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj announced that the blows should be intensified deep in the Russian hinterland. He wants to increase the pressure before new negotiations on a ceasefire with Russia, which he is targeting for this week.
There is no date for the talks yet. As before, Istanbul should be the place of the meeting again, the state Russian news agency TASS reported, citing an unspecified source from the negotiation circles. Most recently, there had been direct negotiations in Istanbul at the beginning of June – but without the prospect of an unconditional ceasefire requested by Kiev.
Damage caused by drones and problems in air traffic
Moscow four capital airports had to interrupt their business several times because of the danger from Ukrainian drones. In the Selenograd district, the drone strokes also damaged numerous high -rise buildings; Cars got on fire, hundreds of windows broke. Residents also published photos of their devastated apartments, as could be seen in the Telegram channel “Chp_zelenograd”.
Mayor Sergej Sobjanin admitted damage, but they are not difficult – and would be eliminated. As in the night, Sobjanin repeatedly reported the shooting of Ukrainian drones during the day, which would have taken the course on Moscow. Their number rose to around 30 to the afternoon – more than ever.
Ukraine also wants to show the Russians what these constant drone attacks, against which it has been fighting for more than three years a day. The damage and victims as a result of the Ukrainian attacks are of no relation to the many dead and injured as well as severe destruction by the Russian attacks.
Deriration and delays in air traffic
The Russian aviation authority Rosawiazija reported restrictions on the capital airports Scheremetjewo, Wnukowo, Domodedowo and Schukowski. Because starts and landings were not possible there due to the drone risk, incoming flights were redirected to other airports for security reasons, including St. Petersburg, which is about 700 kilometers away. The restrictions for Domodedowo and Scheremetjewo were only lifted in the evening.
Rosawiazija spokesman Artjom Korenjako, who was affected, asked the passengers for understanding and patience. “How many have I been on the plane for several hours now,” he said in a video clip from his seat. But flight safety was a priority. Due to drone alarm, there are always flight cancellations and delays. Airlines complain about massive financial losses in the middle of the school holidays in which there is a lot of operation.
Russia also attacked Ukraine with drones again
Ukraine, which massively expands its drone production, wants to return the war to Russia with its counterattacks and, above all, make military logistics. Russia itself attacked Ukraine again with dozens of drones on Sunday night. The Ukrainian air defense indicated its number at 57, significantly less than on Saturday when Selenskyj spoke of more than 300 drone attacks. 18 of these unmanned flight objects on Sunday were shot down. There were also many impacts. The air defense did not provide any information.
Kremlin had recently asked Kyiv several times to talk
The possible negotiations in Istanbul should also deal with the mutual drone attacks that have long since significantly shape the war. Negotiator for Ukraine is the former Defense Minister Rustem Umjerow, who is now a secretary of the National Security and Defense Council. Selenskyj also confirmed his willingness to meet a meeting with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin.
Russia had recently repeatedly declared the willingness to continue the talks started in the spring in Istanbul. The last round ended quickly at the beginning of June after the Russian and Ukrainian delegates had broken their meeting after almost an hour. Moscow had originally expected a new round of negotiations in the second half of the Juni.
Selenskyj: Do everything to achieve ceasefire
Selenskyj said that a new exchange of prisoners was also planned. The warring parties had agreed on this in their first rounds of negotiations. The Ukrainian President had asked Umjerow, who recently had the talks as Defense Minister, to increase the dynamics of negotiation. Everything had to be done to achieve a ceasefire, he said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskow had only welcomed on Friday that Selenskyj had declared that the negotiating process needed more dynamics. “This is a positive signal. And here we are absolutely in agreement: we are also in favor of accelerating the negotiating process,” said Peskow.
In the spring, Ukraine and Russia resumed their direct negotiations in Istanbul for a possible termination of the Moscow war of aggression – for the first time in 2022. So far, there have been primarily humanitarian actions such as the exchange of prisoners of war and the return of soldier corpses.
Russia has been a destructive war against Ukraine for more than three years. Moscow makes maximum demands for the termination of the invasion, which Kyiv categorically rejects. The Russian conditions include Kiev’s waiver of NATO accession and the recognition of the areas annexed by Moscow./Mau/dp/ZB