It is day 601 of the war in Ukraine. The Ukrainian Armed Forces reported shooting down a Russian cruise missile and six kamikaze drones overnight.

Ukrainian forces attacked airfields in the occupied cities of Luhansk and Berdyansk.

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing to participate in the One Belt One Road Forum and to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Novaya-Europe’s news roundup will brief you on the main developments overnight.

Shahed drones attack Ukraine

Air raid sirens were sounded in several regions of Ukraine overnight, the Ukrainian Air Force reported on Tuesday.

Russia carried out an attack on the Odesa, Mykolaiv, and Kherson regions of Ukraine, launching a Kh-59 cruise missile, six Shahed drones, as well as two missiles launched by S-300 systems, according to the Ukrainian Air Force, which said it had shot down the cruise missile and all six of the drones.

Missile debris fell on the premises of a yacht club in the city of Odesa, damaging the property. A hospital in the Kherson region was damaged when it was hit by aerial shelling, though no casualties were reported.

Ukraine attacks airfields in occupied Luhansk and Berdyansk

The Ukrainian military attacked airfields in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian cities of Luhansk and Berdyansk in the early hours of Tuesday, the Ukrainian Strategic Communication Directorate said on Tuesday.

According to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, precision strikes were carried out against helicopters and military equipment being stored at the airfields.

Local residents reported hearing explosions in Berdyansk and the sound of ammunition detonating near the airfield.

The Ukrainian General Staff said that Ukrainian forces had carried out four airstrikes on Monday targeting Russian troops, weapons, and military hardware that damaged two Russian helicopters, an ammunition depot, and an artillery system.

Putin arrives in Beijing to meet with Xi

Russian President Vladimir Putin has flown into Beijing where he will participate in the International One Belt One Road Forum and meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Xi has invited the leaders of some 130 countries to participate in the forum, which is focused on the Belt and Road Initiative, China’s infrastructure development strategy initiative. Putin and Xi, accompanied by their delegations, are due to meet on the margins of the forum on Wednesday.

Putin also plans to meet with the presidents of Mongolia, Laos, and Vietnam, as well as with the prime ministers of Thailand and Pakistan.

This visit is Putin’s second foreign trip this year, and comes just three days after he visited Kyrgyzstan.