ADDS FURTHER DETAILS; MINOR EDITS
By Burc Eruygur
ISTANBUL (AA) - Russia and Ukraine on Tuesday accused each other of overnight airstrikes as the two countries are set to hold a new round of peace talks mediated by the US in Geneva, Switzerland.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed in a statement on Telegram that the country’s air defenses shot down 151 Ukrainian drones overnight, with 79 of them downed over the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
It later said that another 27 Ukrainian drones were shot down between 7 am and 9 am Moscow time (0400-0600GMT).
A fire has broken out at the Ilsky oil refinery in the southern Krasnodar region due to the overnight drone attack, the regional task force declared, noting that the fire covered an area of approximately 700 square meters (7,534 square feet).
Separately, Sochi Mayor Andrey Proshunin said the resort city was subject to a “massive” drone attack, noting that falling debris from downed drones was reported in several areas, but there were no casualties or damage to infrastructure.
Russia's air transport agency Rosaviatsiya said overnight that restrictions were implemented at airports in cities such as Sochi, Krasnodar, Nizhnekamsk, Gelendzhik, and Izhevsk, but announced in the morning that they were lifted.
In Ukraine, Serhii Lysak, head of the Odesa City Military Administration, said on Telegram that at least two people were injured due to overnight Russian strikes on the port city, which he said damaged infrastructure and civilian buildings.
Ukrainian private energy company DTEK announced that energy infrastructure in the city has been hit, describing the damage as “extremely serious.”
Dnipropetrovsk Governor Oleksandr Hanzha stated that a private enterprise, administrative buildings, houses, and cars were damaged in the region’s administrative center following the airstrikes.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a later statement through US social media company X that "tens of thousands of people" are without heat and water supply in Odesa after the drone strike, while 12 regions were targeted in the attacks which he said injured nine people.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called for further sanctions on Russia following the strikes.
The Ukrainian Air Force claimed that the country's air defenses downed 367 out of 396 drones, as well as all 25 missiles, launched by Russia overnight.
Ukraine's General Staff later confirmed targeting the Ilsky oil refinery in overnight strikes, while the Russian Defense Ministry said it launched strikes on Ukrainian military-industrial complex facilities and energy infrastructure, among others.
The claims come as a new round of peace talks involving Russia, Ukraine, and the US will be held in Geneva over two days, starting later Tuesday, which the Kremlin said will focus on territorial issues.
An initial two rounds of US-mediated peace talks between Russia and Ukraine were held in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, in January and earlier this month.
As a result of the second round of talks on Feb. 4-5, both countries agreed to the first exchange of war prisoners in five months.