Aftermath of the Zaporizhzhia strike. Photo: Anatoly Kurtev
It is day 602 of the war in Ukraine. Two people were killed and three more remain unaccounted for following a Russian missile strike on the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia.
Russia’s air defences shot down 28 drones over the country overnight, according to the Defence Ministry.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have met for talks on the margins of The Belt and Road Forum in Beijing.
Novaya-Europe’s news roundup will brief you on the main developments overnight.
Two killed by Russian missile strike on Zaporizhzhia
Two people were killed when an apartment building in the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia was destroyed in a missile strike overnight, city mayor Anatoly Kurtev reported on Wednesday.
Aftermath of the Zaporizhzhia strike. Photo: Anatoly Kurtev
Four others were injured in the strike, he said, while three more people remain unaccounted for.
Russian Defence Ministry reports downing 28 Ukrainian drones
Air defences shot down 28 drones over Russia’s western Belgorod and Kursk regions and the Black Sea overnight, the country’s Defence Ministry announced on Wednesday.
Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said that six fixed-wing drones had been shot down over his region before they could cause any damage or casualties.
A total of 12 drones were downed over the city of Kursk and its surroundings, the region’s governor Roman Starovoyt announced. Drone debris landed on residential neighbourhoods but no damages or casualties had been reported, he said.
Putin and Xi Jinping hold talks in Beijing
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have met in Beijing at the margins of the Belt and Road Forum.
Russia’s state news agency TASS reported that Putin would provide the Chinese president with updates on the war in Ukraine. The agency also reported that the Israel-Palestine conflict would likely also be on the agenda.
Xi stated that Russia and China were continuing their strategic cooperation and said that Beijing was ready to work jointly with Moscow “to protect international justice”, Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported.
Putin also held an informal meeting with the leaders of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in Beijing on Tuesday, and also met Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for unscheduled talks.
