FLASH
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Ukraine announced that it had struck five ships in the Sea of Azov and coastal waters of Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, accusing them of illegally transporting Ukrainian grain, as well as military cargo and fuel.
The commander of the Ukrainian drone forces, Robert Brovdi, said the ships operated with their radars turned off and with disguised names to conceal their activity. According to him, the strikes were carried out at night in the ports of Mariupol and Berdyansk, as well as in the maritime areas of the territories that Ukraine considers temporarily occupied.
Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry confirmed that five Azerbaijani citizens were killed in the attacks on two of the ships hit. Azerbaijani authorities identified the two vessels as the "Nastra" and the "Zircon" but did not specify who was responsible for the attacks. Brovdi did not report casualties in his statement.
The events occurred a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed to Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold direct talks to end the war. The Kremlin leader rejected the offer while attending the St. Petersburg Economic Forum.
In an open letter to Putin, Zelensky argued that peace can only be achieved through direct engagement and called for a complete ceasefire during possible negotiations. The Kremlin confirmed receipt of the letter, while Putin said he currently sees no reason to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart.
The Russian president reiterated his position that Ukraine must withdraw from the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions, as well as abandon its goal of NATO membership. Kiev has repeatedly rejected this demand, arguing that handing over the territories would encourage new Russian aggression.
Meanwhile, Ukraine confirmed that one of its naval drones exploded on Friday near the Romanian port of Constanta on the Black Sea. The Romanian Defense Ministry said the drone self-destructed near an oil terminal without causing casualties, although authorities reported significant damage to a ship and warehouses.
Ukrainian officials said the drone was thrown off course due to Russian electronic interference. Moscow has not yet commented on the claim.
Romanian President Nicușor Dan described the incident as the second major security incident this week, following the discovery of a naval mine on a beach near the village of Vama Veche. Just a week earlier, two people were injured when a drone hit a residential building in the city of Galati, near the border with Ukraine.
In Ukraine, local authorities reported that at least 13 people have been killed and more than 70 others injured in the past 24 hours by Russian strikes. Four victims were killed after a drone strike on a dairy factory near Kiev, while a 35-year-old woman was killed in a drone strike on a gas station in Kherson.
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