The diplomatic appeal follows a series of strikes reported by the Russian Defence Ministry, which claimed its forces hit military warehouses containing communications and electronic warfare equipment in the Black Sea port of Odesa. The ministry also said Russian forces struck a cargo vessel carrying military equipment and a weapons storage warehouse in the port of Mykolaiv. Additionally, the ministry stated that another dry cargo vessel transporting military supplies for Ukraine’s armed forces was hit in the Black Sea. These developments have contributed to a sharp rise in wheat prices, as the conflict continues to disrupt key agricultural export routes.
In a separate but related development, Ukraine denied intentionally targeting Bulgaria after a drone exploded near the strategic Trans-Balkan gas pipeline linking Turkey to Ukraine, close to the Romanian border. Bulgarian authorities confirmed there were no casualties or damage, but the country’s defence ministry stated the drone was of a type widely used by the Ukrainian military. In response, Bulgaria’s foreign minister summoned the Ukrainian ambassador for a meeting scheduled for Monday. This incident marks the latest case of a drone straying into NATO airspace amid the ongoing war.
Georgiy Tykhyi, spokesperson for Ukraine’s foreign ministry, said Kyiv is in close contact with Bulgaria to clarify the circumstances. “We can say with certainty that the Ukrainian Armed Forces did not intentionally direct any assets toward Bulgaria,” Tykhyi said, attributing the incident to the broader context of Russia’s invasion. Ukraine maintains that the security environment created by the Russian offensive is the root cause of such deviations.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is currently in Belgrade for his first official visit to Serbia in eight years, addressed the intensifying aerial threats. Speaking alongside Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Zelenskyy warned that Ukraine is facing a winter without working thermal power plants due to ongoing Russian strikes. He stated that Moscow’s overnight attacks and shelling of frontline communities resulted in 13 deaths in the last 24 hours, including a child in the Kyiv region. “Russian missiles are aimed precisely at making the lives of Ukrainians unbearable,” Zelenskyy told reporters. The two leaders discussed economic ties, security issues, and their respective efforts to join the European Union, with Vucic describing Ukraine as a “friendly nation.”
Security concerns have also extended to NATO territory in Europe. Drones were detected above an army installation in Mechernich, western Germany, which houses components for US-made Patriot air-defence systems. A spokesperson for the military operational command confirmed an investigation has been opened into the sighting at the site, which features a large underground depot extending 130 metres deep. This incident follows the discovery of an explosives-laden drone near a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig-Halle airport, a key hub for the transport of military goods by the German military and NATO allies. The next critical diplomatic step is the scheduled meeting between Bulgarian and Ukrainian officials on Monday to address the drone incident.
